Constrictor
by PixieRed
Summary: GI Joe responds to Cobra's newest multiphase campaign. Last uploaded: Chapters 11 and 12
1. Of Reconnaissance and Reports Pt 1

"You summoned me, Cobra Commander?" Dr. Mindbender approached Cobra Commander's throne, walking slowly while maintaining a half bow, one arm in front of him and another in back. Like many Cobra throne rooms, the one in this particular base was lined with red tinted steel and had various blinking equipment and view monitors. The hot colors of the room only increased the apprehension of the underlings who approached the Cobra leader. The fact that Destro, Baroness, Zartan, and Storm Shadow were present only made Dr. Mindbender feel more ill at ease.

"Is Operation Constrictor ready?" Cobra Commander barked as his throne rotated to bring Dr. Mindbender into his view.

Destro kept a straight face but did rather like the way things were proceeding. If there was one good thing about Cobra Commander, it was that he didn't rest on his laurels, ever. The leader of Cobra never took a vacation. It had to be explained to him that most people worked better with some rest and relaxation before he started allowing such things of his men. (That last part of which had certainly helped recruitment.) No, Cobra Commander was intent on taking over the world and approached the task with great zeal. A classic case of Type A personality gone overboard, Cobra Commander was always working.

Just a few days prior, the commander had been throwing a tantrum over the failure of Destro's ultra-sonic weapon and G.I. Joe's successful defense of Sheik Ali's oil field. He had apparently quickly gotten over it and moved directly to the next order of business. It wasn't really a failure of the weapon anyway, Destro thought to himself, but one of Cobra Commander's intelligence in using it. Cobra Commander was more hyperactive than shrewd. Still, he was a boss that his people feared as much as respected. Destro was pretty sure some of the departments in Cobra accomplished as much as they could, keeping the details out of Cobra Commander's sight (and thus away from his micromanaging,) in order to keep the stress levels down.

Destro shifted his attention to Dr. Mindbender. The mustachioed "scientist," had caught Cobra Commander's attention with the development of his brainwave scanner. Mindbender had been just another drone in Cobra's labs, experimenting on prisoners with a focus on information extraction, but now he looked poised to enter Cobra's inner circle. Destro was skeptical of any research and development outside his own company. He already despised Zartan's work. He didn't expect much from Dr. Mindbender, the man did lab work without a shirt. However, one never knew where Cobra Commander's whims might lead.

"Y-Yes, Cobra Commander," Dr. Mindbender began.

"Excellent!" Cobra Commander interrupted, most likely unaware that he was doing so. All too often he seemed to only hear what he wanted to hear. "We should commence this operation at once!"

"I-I wouldn't advise that, Cobra Commander!" Dr. Mindbender shouted, attempting to prevent Cobra Commander from speaking any further in that direction. "Timing is essential to this operation, in every stage."

"Well then what do you suggest we do?" Cobra Commander spat out his words. He was ever quick to anger. "If we wait around for your perfect time to come along, we might as well just – "

"N-No..." again Dr. Mindbender did not allow Cobra Commander to become too set in his current train of thought. Destro had to be impressed, despite having little faith in most Cobra employees. Mindbender seemed to understand how Cobra Commander worked. "We can make the perfect time. We just need a distraction. A large one."

"Oh?" mocked Cobra Commander. "Are you suggesting I just waste our valuable resources so you can have everything all dainty and perfect?"

Destro rolled his eyes. Logic seemed to escape the commander when he got into one of these moods. It would be obvious to even the most ignorant of buffoons that if one is to invest in an operation, they should invest into seeing that it is played out most successfully. The poor 'doctor' had not yet requested anything grossly expensive... or really anything at all.

Dr. Mindbender was silenced for a moment, obviously tensed over Cobra Commanders reaction. However, he eased as inspiration hit him. With newfound confidence he spoke. "We need not waste anything at all, Cobra Commander."

"Oh?" this time, Cobra Commander's tone was not mocking. The Cobra leader liked being told such things.

"No Commander. I propose that we use this distraction to allow some new blood a chance to show what they've got," Dr. Mindbender spoke rapidly, trying to prevent Cobra Commander from interrupting him. "It would be a great way to expand Cobra's brain trust. We normally don't have time to devote to such endeavors. We can give a number of underlings enough resources to mount decent campaigns. Who knows if we've been missing a valuable up-and-comer? Maybe they'll have a plan that will lead to strong Cobra gains... and if not, we'll still have Operation Constrictor being set up in the background."

Cobra Commander held his chin in one hand and nodded, thinking the idea through. Looks like Dr. Mindbender understands the art of distraction, Destro thought to himself, watching the gears in Cobra Commander's head spin as the leader's focus, and thus the immediacy, left Operation Constrictor and moved to Dr. Mindbender's latest proposal. Dr. Mindbender was still visibly nervous but Destro was certain the sniveling man had nothing to fear now. He had managed to pass the buck to some wet-behind-the-ears agents while biding his own time. Cobra Commander would not be able to say no to an idea that involved so many attempts at once. It would give him the illusion that a lot was being done.

"Yes, yes, I see," as Cobra Commander's excitement grew, he drew out the 'ess' sounds in all of his words. "Baroness! Make it known to our troops that we are soliciting new projects."

"Yes Cobra Commander," the Baroness bowed.

"I will read all of them personally and pick the best ones. We will have to set up some sort of contest for all of this too," Cobra Commander continued, his mind swimming in fantasy of where this venture could lead. "We will meet again in 48 hours."

#-#-#-#-#

Duke sighed as he stepped out of Flint's office, closing the door behind him. After reading the individual reports from Flint's latest mission, in which the Joe team defended Sheik Ali's oil fields, he had spoken with Flint directly to confirm some of the details. He was going to have to discipline Scarlett and get it through her head that this was serious. He didn't relish the idea. Giving light punishments for Shipwreck's antics was one thing, but being strict with one of his most trusted teammates was another, especially her. After Scarlett, he would have to deal with Wild Bill as well. Duke didn't tell Flint what he was planning, knowing that the cocky third-in-command of the Joes would claim it wasn't a big deal, he could handle it. Duke also knew that it wasn't so easy for Flint at the time as it was for him in hindsight. An interview with Airborne had confirmed it.

"Something bothering you Duke?" Dusty happened to be passing by.

"Oil fields mission," Duke stated gruffly.

"Oh I read through those reports too," said Dusty. Though being a specialist in desert warfare, he was unavailable for the particular mission, but had clearly kept himself informed of the operations. "I don't think we did too badly. All in all it was a win for our side. It's always frustrating not to get our hands on Cobra Commander and Destro. There wasn't much that could be done to lessen the collateral damage either."

"Maybe," started Duke. "Maybe not. Who knows how things would have gone had Scarlett and Wild Bill been at the field when the fighting began?"

Dusty saw where Duke was going. "Oh, that."

"I just can't overlook that kind of failure to follow orders," said Duke. "It could have cost Flint and Airborne their lives, not to mention the oil field."

"Yeah, I guess Scarlett can do some pretty stupid things when her friends are in trouble. She would have run into a cloud of toxic gas to get to Ace out had Snake-Eyes not stopped her back when we fought that crazy gigantic germ. Guess she got spooked when Ace, Roadblock and Gung-Ho sent out that mayday."

"Ace again, huh? Is there something I should know about going on there?"

"Uh, not that I know of," the question took Dusty by surprise. "She's just close with that entire group."

Duke noted Dusty's expression and backed off a little. "Anyway, if you're headed in her direction, can you tell her to see me in my office at fourteen hundred?"

"Okay Duke... she's not gonna be – ?"

"Just let her know I'm not happy."

#-#-#-#-#

Lady Jaye went over her inventory a third time. She was scheduled to leave for her next mission late that night and wanted everything in order well in advance. Not only would that set her mind at ease but it would afford her some private time with Flint. Her boyfriend had only returned to base a couple days ago. She was fortunate that they often worked together on missions, but once they got out of phase like this, it became like a long distance relationship – frequent as possible visits between the pair being far apart.

The team had gained word of a new Cobra installation in south eastern Australia. Lady Jaye was doubtful as it was odd for Cobra to build in the more densely populated areas of a country. Because Extensive Enterprises did have a building in Melbourne, she and a small team were heading over to try to find some concrete information. The twins were supposedly already in the area. If nothing came of it, it wouldn't be a complete loss as the Crimson Guard Commanders' branch office was overdue for some in-house G.I. Joe surveillance.

"I'd ask if you needed any help," Alpine walked in. "But it looks like you're all done."

"I'll take you up on that when it's time to load the Tomahawks," Lady Jaye replied.

"Tomahawks? We're taking two?"

"Yeah, we're going to masquerade as a normal military transport. Well, it's really only part ruse. I'll be piloting the lead one, carrying some non-Joes. We probably won't attract much if any attention when we arrive that way. You guys just need to lay low for the first hour or so after landing."

Alpine made a face. "I don't know about you, but after a flight that long, I can't wait to get outside. I was raised on fresh mountain air."

"No one said being a Joe was easy," Lady Jaye winked. "But I'll admit it's a lot easier when you're at the controls."

"How is a lady like you, who professes to be afraid of heights, such an accomplished pilot?"

"Heh. Not much looking down when you're at the controls."

"Well, I suspect that Quick Kick will be doing the bulk of the flying on our ship. I don't really have much experience with Tomahawks. I'm not even sure Rock n' Roll knows how to fly anything," Alpine quipped.

"Are Quick Kick and the others all set?"

"Mostly, but we don't really have as much to prepare as you do. Quick Kick was with Snake-Eyes doing demonstrations earlier this morning. Dusty's been running around doing administravia. Rock n' Roll was getting in his music fix," he paused. "Ripcord was packing though."

"It almost feels like we're taking too many for this operation."

"Better safe than sorry, especially when you're half way around the globe."

"Any word from Bazooka?" Lady Jaye remembered that while Alpine's often partner wasn't quite half way around the world, he was still a decent road trip away.

"He and Roadblock are having a ball testing out the new heavy weapons," Alpine said smiling. "They'll be so motivated to get some of those on base that they'll probably make a new record in report filing time. Anyway, it's getting to be about lunch time, coming?"

"Nah, meeting with Flint."

"Have fun then," Alpine smiled. "See you at 2200."

Finishing her third run through the inventory, Lady Jaye looked up at the wall clock and saw that it was indeed about time for lunch. She still had time though so she took a casual outdoor route to re-enter headquarters close to Flint's office. Normally the pair might find some place where they were less likely to be interrupted, but this day there wasn't enough time for that.

It was still a few minutes until their planned meeting time when Lady Jaye walked into Flint's office. She smiled to herself as she watched him organize various stacks of paper on his desk, obviously lost in work, perhaps trying to juggle too many trains of thoughts at once. He hadn't even heard her come in. He was probably still a bit spacey from the jet lag, though he'd never admit it. Not enough sun made it hard to get back on schedule.

Lady Jaye quietly tip-toed behind her beleaguered boyfriend. She flipped the flop of his beret. As he turned, finally noticing someone else was in the room, she leaned in, wrapping her arms over his shoulders and speaking softly in his ear. "Hope you're not working too hard."

"Gotta work hard to make time for a certain someone," Flint replied, his words turning to a murmur as his lips met hers. When she finally broke away, he spoke again. "I hope you locked that door."

"Of course, I wouldn't want anyone to be scarred for life should they walk in," she smiled.

"Well then," Flint took a small picnic basket out of his lower desk drawer. "Lunch, is then, on me."

Lady Jaye couldn't help adding. "Don't worry, your Tang and marshmallow sandwich secret is safe with me."

#-#-#-#-#

Scarlett paced herself on the way to Duke's office, determined to get there exactly on time, not 30 seconds too soon, not 30 seconds too late. She had skipped her post-lunch coffee in hopes of keeping herself nicely subdued. She had gone over in her mind what she might say in her defense but most of her scenario arguments were just excuses. She knew he was serious, serious enough to arrange a meeting and send a somewhat spooked Dusty to tell her – instead of just visiting her office for a chat. She figured he would channel his inner drill sergeant and if that was the case, she would channel her inner obedient cadet, wherever that girl had run off to. Hopefully, falling into these roles, their friendship wouldn't become awkward and she wouldn't get herself into hotter water than she was already.

There was no question that Scarlett was in the wrong with the way things went down. She had just expected them to turn out differently. She thought she would have enough time to rescue her friends and be back before any fighting began. Had she not and Cobra had remained quiet for several more hours, she would be feeling much worse right now, Scarlett told herself. She knew the risks when she snuck off to find Roadblock and the others, even if she never expected it would cause problems. She suspected that point right there was going to be coming up a lot in the next few minutes.

Scarlett knocked on the door to Duke's office. After a murmur of "come in," she slipped inside the room, closing the door behind her. "You asked to see me?" she considered appending a "sir" to the end but decided against it.

"I think we both know why you're here," Duke said, getting up from his chair and walking over to Scarlett, a short stack of papers in hand. As he rose, his face met hers. She was relieved he hadn't started in with the yelling yet but she hadn't been prepared for the coldness of his gaze either. She guessed there were other ways of being detached. Being business-like was one of them. She reminded herself not to take anything personally.

"Yes, yes we do," she said as evenly as she could when Duke stopped a few feet in front of her. "I deliberately disobeyed a direct order; I coerced Wild Bill to leave our post; and I endangered my teammates and the mission." Scarlett was careful with her choice of words. She didn't want to appear too eager to defend Bill for fear Duke would use it against her but she wanted to get across the idea that it was all her doing.

"And you'd do it again in a heartbeat, wouldn't you?" Duke had been thrown off by her attempt to steal any thunder he might rain upon her, but he was quick to maneuver his way to what wasn't being said. He hated to pick a fight with her but he had to drive this point home.

Scarlett was taken aback though she continued to keep a straight face. How could she have not been ready for that? She couldn't lie to him, but she wasn't going to make it easy. "It would completely depend on the specifics of the situation."

"And given the same kind of specifics?"

"Without any knowledge of the immediacy of a Cobra attack, it's more prudent to rescue our men," Scarlett stated firmly. Trying to cut this short admitting her mistakes had failed, it was time to argue her points. "Their chances for survival in the desert dwindle as time passes and it's better to retrieve them and bolster our forces for when Cobra does show."

"So then despite that nice little speech you gave me a minute ago, you're saying you would do it again," Duke's annoyed authority-figure tone had come out. He wasn't quite to the level of interrogating an enemy captive but was heading in that direction.

"I wouldn't have done it the first time if I didn't think I had good reason. In hindsight, I can see that the decision was not the best," Scarlett was doing her best to rein herself in. Intellectually, she knew that she couldn't win over Duke and she would be facing something whether she argued or not. Emotionally, she felt she was right and didn't want to meekly accept something that she didn't believe was right.

"Despite the fact that your commanding officer specifically told you that you couldn't go after them at that juncture?"

"First of all he said that "we" couldn't go after them, he didn't specifically mention – "

"Let's not get into semantics soldier, you know what he meant."

Scarlett kicked herself for that one. She knew that was a childish argument the second it popped out of her mouth. Still, it had at least a shred of validity. "Flint had things to do. I didn't. I took the initiative. Isn't that part of what makes GI Joe different?" She knew better than to throw in a 'Don't we care about our teammates?' as well, though she thought it.

"It's true GI Joe is a bit more lax but I think this goes above and beyond that – and it's clear to me that you're just not getting it. You'll have a lot of time to think it over though," Duke waved the small stack of papers he had been holding on to. "In here you'll find plenty of PT, cleaning duty, paperwork and the like to keep you entertained during the two months you'll be grounded to base."

There it was, the drill sergeant's snarl, accenting the climax of his laundry list of disciplinary action. He shoved the papers into her hands. Scarlett looked at the stack and wondered just how much stuff was in there. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting. She knew it could have been worse. Other than being barred from field missions, which stung, it was really just a pile of minor punishments, a very large pile.

Duke knew Scarlett well enough to tell that last part had more of an effect on her than she was letting on, but it wasn't enough. "I've set very specific instructions for when and where I would like to see your reports on my desk. You'll find you also need to cover for your teammates that will be carrying the extra load you're leaving them," he saw her face visibly fall this time. Worry for her friends was at the crux of this and he was twisting that knife. Normally he would feel some urge to comfort her, knowing she was pretty upset to be showing it, but he was on a roll, in his role as a commanding officer. "Yeah, that's right, you didn't think of that did you? Because you can't be trusted to follow orders, your teammates are going to be exposed to even more danger than normal. How are you going to feel if something happens to them then?"

Scarlett fought to keep a straight face. She knew she was failing but she wasn't going to crumble like some sort of rookie or worse yet, some sort of female stereotype. In such a state, she knew it best not to respond. She just stared back at her commanding officer.

"Nothing left to say soldier?" Duke mocked her. "Well then, you have your orders. Get out of my office."

Scarlett spun on her heels and quickly made her way for the door. She was trying to appear as calm as possible but her speedy retreat would have given her away to even the most dull an observer. She slipped out of the office as soon as the door afforded her enough room, not really watching where she was going or paying attention to the environment around her. She had already turned the hallway corner when Duke's door had swung open enough to reveal Snake Eyes.

Seeing Scarlett briskly turn the corner, Snake Eyes turned his attention to Duke, who was watching the now vacant doorway and frowning. The ninja, leaning against the opposing hallway wall with his arms folded, tilted his head as if raising an eyebrow at the team's first shirt.

"What?" Duke said tersely. He was still worked up from the preceding argument. He looked Snake Eyes square in the eye, or at least the face. He let the 'conversation' go on from where he was standing in his office to the hallway wall across from his door where Snake Eyes was standing. "You know I had to. You know this was for her own good. And you know it could have been a lot worse." Duke didn't feel it was necessary to point out in many ways he was protecting Scarlett and her record from worse that might come from above him or Hawk. He certainly didn't feel it was necessary to yell that part out into the open hallway.

Snake Eyes expression was unchanged. After deciding that Duke wasn't going to say anything more, he unfolded his arms and silently walked off, hard to read as always.


	2. Of Reconnaissance and Reports Pt 2

Lady Jaye woke up from her nap to some light knocks on her door. She was always an especially light sleeper right before a mission. She was doing a so-so job of resting up before her long flight to Australia later that night. There was just too much stuff to be done and too much stuff she wanted to do on top of that. She couldn't be too mad at whoever it was. Had she really wanted to stay asleep, she would have used her bedroom and put some sort of do-not-disturb sign on her door.

"I'm coming," Lady Jaye called, internally chuckling at her last thought. The idea of a do-not-disturb sign inside a military base was amusing enough without the implications it might have to the rest of the team because of her and Flint. However, it was an odd situation to begin with. At a normal base, most people of her and her colleague's ranks would own or be renting a nice little house somewhere in the area and commute to work. In GI Joe, there was enough reason to have them all live on site, both for accessibility and their own safety.

Lady Jaye had never been wanting for money. She liked being independent but it wasn't like she planned to ignore her trust fund either. She knew some of her friends were happily building up nice little nest eggs to retire on with the money they were saving. Personally, she missed having windows, a yard, privacy – but at the same time at least she was mostly safe from air strike and lived close to all of her friends. The quarters were modest but not muchly so. Unlike being a cadet she had her own kitchen and bath, kind of like a small condo. She could have used some more closet space but she was pretty sure she was the only one who could say that. Well, okay, maybe Flint too since she had appropriated some of his. Everyone had their vices, hers were of the textile variety.

Scarlett was standing on the other side of the door when she opened it, clad in her standard uniform and holding a report's worth of papers. Even though Lady Jaye's hair was quite forgiving to such things, Scarlett could tell she had just woken up. "Uh, I'm sorry, is this a bad time? This really isn't that pressing."

"No, no," Lady Jaye was quick to respond. "I wasn't having much luck falling asleep anyway. Come in." She motioned Scarlett to have a seat on her couch. "So what's up?"

"I'm guessing you've heard about the oil fields mission by now," Scarlett started. Upon seeing Lady Jaye nod her head, she continued. "I'm here to apologize."

"Apologize?"

"Yeah, honestly I wouldn't have thought about it if not for prompted by Duke's list," Scarlett said guiltily as she showed the front page of the stack of paper she was holding was a laundry list of apologies. "I mean, sure I apologized to everyone on the team already, though I've been making a second pass because of this. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Duke is right, I owe you an apology too. My actions endangered someone you're very close to."

It had been a long time since Scarlett and Lady Jaye had been on less than friendly terms. Still, Scarlett felt a bit nervous. She knew she would be upset at anyone who put her family in danger and that Lady Jaye would feel the same way about Flint.

Scarlett had calmed down a bit since her meeting with Duke earlier that afternoon. After taking a half hour run, she had cleaned up and gotten started on the first page of her punishment, which was pretty much all apologies. She wanted to get those over with as soon as possible. The longer she waited, the more awkward they would be.

Lady Jaye took the disciplinary orders from Scarlett and looked at the front page. She noticed that her name had been penciled in. Heh, she thought, I see I was an afterthought. No, wait, Duke must have done it on purpose... her name probably didn't appear on the official copy he filed and thus no official record connecting her to Flint. Lady Jaye quickly flipped through the rest of the stack, not really reading, only trying to see if anything else was penciled in. As she suspected, there were several other items on the task list that were added in that way. Should any brass come sniffing around Scarlett's file, they would be seeing something that looked like less of a big deal. She wondered if Scarlett had realized yet.

"I hope you're not too mad at me," Scarlett spoke, her eyes searching for some sort of response. Lady Jaye realized she was leaving her friend hanging.

"If I dwell on it, yeah it makes me upset," Lady Jaye started. She put her hand on Scarlett's shoulder. "But if I got into that line of thinking, I would get upset every time I felt Flint was in danger for a teammate or whenever someone failed to defend him – it would get silly and unhealthy. I would be unhappy. He would be unhappy."

Lady Jaye removed her hand and smiled. "But that's not carte blanche to act recklessly around him either."

Scarlett smiled weakly. Apologizing to Lady Jaye had probably been more for her than it had been for Jaye.

Tempted as she was to ask for some of the details of Scarlett's meeting with Duke, Lady Jaye decided against it. She knew that both Scarlett and Cover Girl had, for lack of a better term, a 'thing' going on with respect to Duke and whatever that 'thing' may be for either of them, she didn't want to end up in the middle. They were both her friends. She would have to mull over it more later.

#-#-#-#-#

Duke picked up another report from his "To Do" stack. He hadn't made much progress in the previous one. A couple paragraphs of not really reading the new one, he put that one down too. Then he tried shuffling the papers on his desk but it all came out a mess, so he tossed them all to the side and then started drumming his fingers.

It had been a rather unproductive afternoon since he had dealt with Scarlett and Wild Bill. Duke was mad at himself for snapping at Snake Eyes just because he happened to be there at the wrong time. He had really been yelling at the side of himself doubting his own actions, not poor Snakes who had just looked at him funny. Duke felt bad about Wild Bill too. The resident Texan-to-the-core had been so easy to deal with – folksy, humble, earnest; that Duke had felt guilty, even if that was just the kind of guy Wild Bill was. Mostly though, Duke was mulling over what to do about the redhead. Coming up with a long list of things for her to do wasn't that hard. Dealing with the aftermath, he hadn't quite worked out.

Duke looked at the clock. If he wasn't going to get any of the boring work done, he might as well get in some training while it was still light out. It was a fight to not get too tied up in the administrative side of things. He had shied away from promotions so he could stay out in the field. He shouldn't let himself forget that, even when it seemed like everything was pulling him this way and that.

Turning his attention to the base schedule, he concluded he could be done with his workout and presentable in time to brief a couple teams that were leaving that night. He wondered if he could insert himself into anything that was coming up soon. Maybe he'd convince Flint to sit out his next time out under the guise of giving the man more time with Lady Jaye.

Duke decided to hit the weights. The gym was rarely empty during normal waking hours. For all the bellyaching people did over PT, there was a culture of fitness in any military base. GI Joe was no exception. It made it convenient to find a spotter.

Said spotter was found in Mutt. Mutt was a thoroughly dependable guy. He could be a bit on the taciturn side, perhaps preferring Junkyard's company to any human's. Still he seemed to enjoy hanging out in the mess or rec room with the other guys even if he wasn't the one making the racket. Furthermore, he was always sure to offer a helping hand. It was pleasant to spend the next hour lifting in his company.

#-#-#-#-#

Alpine tugged at the collar of his uniform. Too much starch. Somehow, when Lady Jaye had told him about their plan to masquerade as a normal military transport, he hadn't caught on that it meant his group would have to be wearing standard army dress greens the entire way to Australia. He had unbuttoned the top shortly after take off but it still bugged him.

"Up for a game of cards?" Ripcord waved a deck of them. The paratrooper was using his feet to shove a crate to the center of the seated Joes.

"Careful with that," said Rock n' Roll. "Hope whatever's in there isn't live."

"I'm pretty sure this one is just rations," Ripcord replied. "I wouldn't want you pounding a crate full of grenades when you lose after all."

"Sometimes I wonder which is more deadly," said Alpine. "The rations or the grenades."

"So who's in?" Ripcord asked again.

"Looking to get in some wins without Ace around?" Alpine joked.

"I believe I've beaten Ace on occasion," said Ripcord.

"On occasion," repeated Alpine. "Anyway, I'm in."

"Count me in too," Dusty looked up from the magazine he was reading.

"And me," Rock n' Roll made for the whole of the Joes seated back there. He called over to Quick Kick in front. "Sure you can't join us? Shouldn't be any mountains to run into between here and there!"

"Nah, I feel better concentrating on flying," Quick Kick called back.

"I feel better with him concentrating on flying too," Alpine said lightheartedly. He called forward. "Are you annoyed by these silly uniforms as much as I am?"

"More so!" Quick Kick replied with a grin. "I don't usually bother with the whole shirt and shoes thing... I save it all for the service!"

"I guess we're supposed to look like good little soldiers in our Sunday best for a foreign government," said Ripcord as he took out a small briefcase of poker chips.

"Chips? You brought poker chips?" Rock n' Roll was surprised.

"I'm used to taking long flights," smiled Ripcord.

"Just like back at the base," said Alpine. "Poker and 'reconnaissance reports.'"

"You guys really have that much to gossip about?" Quick Kick called back. He knew the meaning of 'reconnaissance report' when it came to Poker.

"Hey, no using the G word! Real men don't gossip," Alpine shouted forward.

"We're probably missing all the good stuff back at the base," said Dusty. "Everyone must be in an uproar over Duke laying the law down on Scarlett. Didn't see that one coming."

"Wait, what happened?" asked Ripcord.

"Duke busted her over deliberately going against Flint's orders on her last mission," said Dusty.

"Her and Wild Bill," said Rock n' Roll. Dusty raised an eyebrow at him, wondering how he would know already. "Bill and I were having a jam session and he filled me in. He's got a bunch of PT and KP... Scarlett got the works and she's grounded to the base for the next two months."

"If he was that mad, why not just suspend her?" asked Alpine.

"Probably wants her around to do intelligence work," said Dusty. Grinning, he added. "Or maybe he just wants to watch her do chores."

"So... are they like, together?" asked Rock n' Roll.

"I don't think so," said Alpine. "Lady Jaye is our resident expert in covert ops, and if we found out about her and Flint, Scarlett's not going to be able to keep a relationship secret. She's not really that good at going undercover."

"Plus," said Dusty. "Duke asked me if there was something going on between Scarlett and Ace."

"Scarlett and Ace!" Rock n' Roll laughed. "Obviously Duke isn't paying much attention. Right before the oil fields mission, Ace was out on a date with someone else."

"Oh who?" asked Ripcord.

"Alice," said Dusty.

"Marcia," said Rock n' Roll.

The two men looked at each other. "Both of them?!"

"Alice, Alice the SkyStriker tech?" Ripcord seemed a little saddened by the revelation.

"Yeah," said Dusty. "And I presume Marcia from the diner a couple miles from base?"

Rock n' Roll nodded in Dusty's direction. "That brings his total up to how many this past month? Four?"

"No, I think that's five," said Alpine. "There was also that chick from the bar, Carol, that pilot from another base, Cindy, and that Jan girl, whoever she was." Alpine and the others took a moment of silence. "Damn."

"I guess that's life when you're tall, dark and handsome," said Rock n' Roll. "So, it seems like ol' Duke is fishin' around for Scarlett's status."

"He had a reasonable need to know. I don't get why everyone seems to think that Duke is interested in Scarlett," said Alpine. "From where I'm sitting, it looks like the other way around. She's always the one fretting over him, getting touchy-feely with him – it's funny that they can get away with that because they're not in a relationship while Flint and Jaye have to be more professional."

"I guess that's the way of Frat Regs," said Dusty.

"Frat Regs are actually a lot more than just dating," said Ripcord. "They cover all relationships. I'm pretty sure there's an example in there somewhere about the conflicts of interest should our third-cousins hold a bake sale together. Any perceived unjust favoritism is frowned on, even if it's only perceived."

"The man knows his regs... Beachhead would be proud," said Rock n' Roll. Ripcord looked embarrassed. "Anyway Alpine, you weren't around in the early days. Duke was pretty obviously trying to flirt with Scarlett back then."

"So? I flirt with Jaye, but we both know I don't mean anything," said Alpine.

"I just hope Flint knows that," said Dusty. "Perhaps you should flirt with someone who is still single."

"Ah, but see, that's the point. Because Jaye is dating, it's very clear that I don't mean anything by it. With someone who is single, the line becomes more hazy. As for Flint, I try not to taunt the beast, you know," Alpine grinned. Dusty raised his eyebrow. Alpine probably could get away with it because of his demeanor and maturity, but Dusty wouldn't be so sure of other guys flirting with involved women. Alpine continued. "Anyway, I'm hearing that Duke used to flirt with Scarlett. If he's interested, why did he stop?"

"Maybe he didn't realize he was doing it, and stopped when he did," said Dusty.

"Maybe he realized that he wasn't getting anywhere that way," Rock n' Roll responded. "I mean, it's hard to look even reasonably serious flirting with one girl while you've got another attached to your arm." It was understood that Rock n' Roll referred to the MASS device incident.

"It still seems to me that it's more Scarlett," Alpine was unmoved.

"Don't forget that Scarlett is just a touchy-feely person," said Dusty. "You've seen the way she is with Roadblock, that's much worse, since they're both touchy-feely. But, there's obviously nothing romantic going on there. Honestly, I'm not so sure she's looking for a relationship."

"I don't think anyone, male or female, who makes it into this team comes looking for a relationship," said Alpine. "You don't get this far doing that."

"Unless you're Shipwreck," Quick Kick couldn't resist adding.

"Oh Shipwreck and his lovable sexual harassment," said Alpine. He smiled slyly. "But he and Scarlett are both members of the unfortunate code names club with me, so maybe I should go easy on them tonight. Though I have it the worst... I mean, it's just my real name. Who thought up that?"

"I was always confused by Snake Eyes myself, I mean, it has "snake" right in there. Weren't we created to fight them?" Ripcord offered.

"I think it might pre-date the team. I think it's supposed to mean bad luck... for them I guess," said Dusty. Ripcord's gambling apparently didn't extend to Craps.

"I kind of personally thought Snowjob had it bad," Rock n' Roll coughed. "Anyway, how Scarlett treats Duke isn't very far from how she treats her brothers. I can see where he might get confused though."

"You've met her brothers?" asked Dusty.

"Sure, they were on base getting checked out for a day or so after the mission with the exploding crystals," said Rock n' Roll. "We had to make sure there were no after effects of Cobra's mind control."

"Let me tell you," Rock n' Roll continued. "The way her brothers act, I'd be surprised if Scarlett has ever had a boyfriend. They probably scared away any boy who even thought about getting close to her. They had this vibe of 'if you defile my sister, us three martial arts instructors will turn you into mashed potatoes.' Seriously, they were like some Irish street gang from the 1800s."

"Are you sure you're not just projecting there, Rock n' Roll?" Dusty smirked.

"He isn't the only one who got that impression," said Ripcord. "It's weird how older brothers can emote that kind of thing while appearing to be generally friendly."

"Thunder giving you the evil eye that day too?" Alpine grinned in Ripcord's direction.

"Thunder's sister is like thirteen. I didn't have any interest in her, that should have been apparent," Ripcord said defensively. "She just wanted to act independent of her folks and show how mature she was around all of us. I was just trying to be a gentleman and escort her around."

The others chuckled. Ripcord was probably one of the most gentleman-like members of the team. His values were a little old fashioned, but when he defended women, he did it out of manners and honor, not so much out of romantic or sexual interest or a belief that the women were somehow inferior. The Joe women could tell this and never got offended in the same way they might with other Joes.

"Don't worry Ripcord," Alpine continued to tease. "We know. I'm sure Chrissy was bragging to her classmates the next day about her 'date' with an older man."

Ripcord grumbled.

"Of course," Alpine continued. "I'm pretty sure several of our comrades have Native American curses upon them thanks to Spirit and his grandfather. Vena was too popular for her own good."

"She seemed to know how to handle herself," said Rock n' Roll. "She's wise beyond her years like her cousin."

"It's a good thing that Shipwreck was distracted with his own family that day," said Alpine.

"Sounds like I missed a lot of interesting events while taking care of my own folks," Quick Kick called back. "Not that I regret a moment of it."

"What did you end up doing?" asked Ripcord.

"I gave them the nickel tour. You know, nothing classified. Then we spent some time hanging out with Roadblock. He and my mother got along really well. Then my father's all like 'you're tall! Let's play basketball!'" Quick Kick tsked. "You'd think that living in Watts, he wouldn't make such a potentially racially charged comment. I wanted to crawl into a hole at that moment."

"I'm sure ol' Roadblock took it well," said Rock n' Roll.

"Plus, Roadblock likes basketball," said Alpine, recalling the party Barbecue threw to celebrate his fire station restoration project. "He took on a team of greenshirts by himself and won easily… and uh, broke a window."

"I seem to recall someone else broke a banister," said Dusty, looking in Alpine's direction. "That Barbecue is one crazy fellow for inviting all of us to that fire station of his." He paused. "So, no harm done, Quick Kick?"

"Yeah, it turned out really well. We ended up having a pretty cool pick-up game with some other Joes. My father is pretty good for his height," Quick Kick said proudly. He was pretty sure the other guys went easy on them, especially with his mother watching, but in the end it was such a happy memory, he really didn't care. "My parents were in great spirits when they left, which is amazing considering all the crazy stuff that just happened to them."

"Speaking of parents, if Scarlett's brothers were doing the intimidation thing, what was her father doing?" asked Dusty.

"Oh this is the best part," said Rock n' Roll. "Scarlett's father goes and finds Snake Eyes in the gym. He says "Hey there lad, I hear you're skilled in the martial arts – "

"Scarlett's father is Irish, not Scottish," Ripcord interrupted Rock n' Roll's rather poor impression of any sort of Irish or Scottish accent.

"So sue me. Anyway, he wants to spar and Snake Eyes quickly raises his arms in front of his chest, waving them trying to say no," Rock n' Roll mimicked the motion. "But Scarlett's father wouldn't have it, he's like 'aw come on, it'll be fun!' and loops his arm over Snake Eyes' shoulder and starts dragging him towards the mats. Snake Eyes extends his arms out to the rest of us, waving furiously, calling for help, signing for help, going through just about every help motion he can think of. It was hilarious."

"What's so bad about sparring with Scarlett's father?" asked Dusty.

"Well, what was he going to do? Beat Scarlett's father? Be the guy who shows someone's little girl that he isn't the strongest man in the whole world? On the other hand, he can't throw the match. If he can't fool Scarlett, he probably can't fool her father."

"So what did he end up doing?"

" Well, they were about to start going at it, but then Scarlett burst in. She starts nattering stuff like 'Where have you been? The doctors have been looking for you!' Her dad made the greatest 'ugh, doctors' face before she starts dragging him off by the arm. Snake Eyes turns to the rest of us and makes this exaggerated brow-wiping motion," Rock n' Roll again mimicked the motion, making a 'phew' sound automatically though Snake Eyes could not have done so.

"Man, I'm sorry I missed that."

"So, were we going to actually play some Poker or what?" asked Alpine.


	3. Of Reconnaissance and Reports Pt 3

Scarlett formally began her new schedule the next morning by joining Beachhead at some ungodly hour for PT. She had learned that Wild Bill had something similar scheduled for the afternoon when she was apologizing to him the day before. She was glad that Bill hadn't gotten it as bad as she had – his was shorter, lesser and with no restrictions on field missions. Bill was also not being given the ladder treatment.

The ladder treatment, as it had come to be known by, involved using successively heavier packs at various intervals. It was a valid method of training – working your way up, but as a punishment it seemed more brutal, especially because the intervals were a bit more 'challenging' than someone who was just training for himself might choose, even Beachhead. Shipwreck had once remarked "Why don't they just take out a ladder and beat us with it instead?" Of course, Scarlett had faith that Beachhead would alter the ladder down should he be concerned about injury (or up in the slim chance it was too easy.)

Scarlett had a lot of respect for Beachhead. She was sure most of the Joes did, despite all the teasing. She tended to be light on the Beachhead-abuse. She felt that most people had this unconscious sense that he was that kid everyone picked on and they couldn't escape that kind of social hierarchy. Of course, she could be totally wrong and it wasn't like Beachhead wasn't able to handle it.

Some people thought Beachhead was sexist. Scarlett didn't really feel that way. Beachhead just didn't treat the Joe women any differently than the Joe men. Given the differences in expected communication, this came off as being harsh on the women. Scarlett wasn't sure which way was the right to handle it – yelling at everyone equally or handling the diversity of culture. The military was one to imprint its own culture but GI Joe thrived in being less informal and more open.

Whatever Beachhead's flaws may be, he was still one of the most hardworking and dependable members of the team. His file consisted only of top marks, starting with his schooling in Auburn. Auburn was only about a hundred miles from Atlanta and well known in the area for its fine public school system. He came to the team as an instructor with the field experience to back it up, much like Scarlett herself, but had much more impressive credentials as to the when and the where. The man was also disturbingly good when it came to psy-ops.

Beachhead was tempted to look behind him to see how much of a lead he had on Scarlett but decided it was a bit early in the course for that. He was not so happy to have Scarlett training with him that morning, or rather, every morning for the next two months. He wondered if Duke was actually trying to punish him. He shoved that paranoid thought to the side. It wasn't that he didn't respect Scarlett, she was definitely on the less-annoying side of the Joe scale. She did her thing, he did his and rarely did they ever have cause to disagree, much less actually do so. She was reliable. Her hand-to-hand was good, probably better than his. Still, he didn't want her invading his personal time and throwing off his schedule.

For just a few hours every day, Beachhead only had himself to worry about. He was pretty sure no one would bother him. He was pretty sure he didn't need to bother over anyone else. He could just focus on pushing and preparing himself. It was what he could do for himself. He knew he could trust Scarlett not to slack off, so she wouldn't be putting a cramp on his usually pace. However he still had to keep tabs on her as a trainer and a commanding officer.

"So, Beach," Scarlett picked up her pace to catch up to him before he got too far ahead. She decided she might as well use this opportunity to get to know the man better. To her, and probably many others, Beachhead's life seemed to only be military. "You're from Auburn right?"

"Yeah," said Beachhead gruffly.

"Ever been to Atlanta?"

"Nope."

"Aww, you should visit some time! It's a great place."

"I will if there's Cobra there."

Scarlett's face fell a little, but she quickly brought back a smile. "So, do you visit Fort Benning when you go back to visit your folks?"

"Look, Scarlett," Beachhead had about reached his limit, especially for that morning. "Number one. This is punishment, not social hour. Number two. This Pollyanna routine might work just great on Snake Eyes but it's only annoying me. And number three. You're not going to be able to keep my pace with that weighted pack so you might as well save your breath, slow down, and run to complete the course."

"Right, sorry," Scarlett let a little disappointment come through, rather than snapping at the man. She slowed down, watching Beachhead's back disappear further and further in front of her. It was going to be a long two months.

#-#-#-#-#

Lady Jaye suppressed her desires to fidget with her disguise. She missed the days before GI Joe when she could just get lost in a crowd in some foreign country, no disguise, just research and mannerisms helping her to blend in. Sometimes she might resort to hair color or tanning solution but that was as much as she needed. With GI Joe and Cobra, everyone knew everyone and so it was masks, wigs and make-up all around.

There was a lot to be learned while in disguise, not just intelligence. The color of her hair seemed to cause great shifts in her treatment by ordinary people. She had gone a different shade of brown for this mission. She didn't want to attract attention. It irked her that medium range brunettes seemed to get less special treatment all around but recognized that it wasn't fun to be treated as a dumb blond, slutty blond, fiery redhead, evil raven-haired lady or any other stereotype either.

Plus, with her natural hair color, any sons she and Flint might have should look just like their handsome father. Whoa, thought Lady Jaye, where did that come from? Did she just jump light years ahead or what? She wasn't even sure she wanted kids.

Lady Jaye laughed to herself. She was doing too good job of appearing like an ordinary woman for this mission alright. She got off of the elevator on the top floor. The building was actually rented out by several different companies that needed anywhere from a suite of space to a couple floors. Extensive Enterprises had the top few – meaning easiest access to the helipad on the roof.

Plenty of planning had gone into this mission. Lady Jaye had secured a temp position as building cleaning staff, carefully creating a trail for her fictional self. The others were positioned near by, ready to be on the scene in a moments notice. If everything went according to plan, they wouldn't need to do anything.

Surveying the desk farm, Lady Jaye wondered how many of the Extensive employees were Cobra agents. She wondered how many of the agents had grown soft working behind a desk. Of course, if the new project GI Joe had heard about was serious, Cobra may have replaced the entire building with fake companies and Cobra soldiers. She would have to observe everyone carefully to determine the truth.

The office ladies seemed normal enough. There were a few diligently doing their work or trying to keep up with the whims of their immediate bosses. Others were chatting amongst themselves at one desk or another. As Lady Jaye watered the potted plants, she overhead one particularly giggly group going on and on about how handsome Tomax and Xamot were. Their flights of fancy seemed to be more about marrying a rich man rather than one of high rank.

The twins were definitely a curiosity. They were certainly devoted to themselves first and foremost, perhaps even more so than other Cobra officers. "Themselves" was a difficult word though. Some Joes considered them to essentially be one person with four arms and two heads. Hit one, it was like hitting the whole. Talk to one, you talk to them both. Lady Jaye knew this wasn't always the case though, having had a run in with Xamot alone.

Why they were so loyal to Cobra Commander was something Lady Jaye did not know. Was running a huge company not evil enough for them? Did the benefits they got from Cobra's smuggling and sabotage operations really make up for the billions the twins raised to finance some of Cobra's more elaborate schemes? Even if that were the case, why Cobra Commander and not some other faction within Cobra?

The twin's unquestionable loyalty was probably why they led the Crimson Guard, despite seeming ill-suited for it. Tomax and Xamot themselves were decent at everything they did but rarely liked to get into the nitty gritty of things, preferring to keep their hands clean. The Crimson Guard were Cobra's elite. Lady Jaye supposed that good management trained good soldiers.

Lady Jaye watched one of the senior project managers enter the office Tomax and Xamot were using. If the twins were to be discussing their Melbourne plans with anyone in the office, it would likely be him. While the Crimson Guard commanders would probably be guarded in their speech, their lackeys were generally not so experienced and thus prone to slip some key information.

Producing a rag from the pocket of her work dress, Lady Jaye began to dust off the objects on the wall to the twin's temporary office. She used the rag to conceal a listening device that extended up the sleeve of her dress to both an ear piece and a small recording device. She knew she had a relatively short time per day with this method, but there was always blind hope. Planted listening devices tended to be destroyed quickly thanks to frequent Cobra sweeps. During the rest of her time playing cleaning staff, Lady Jaye would observe the rest of the office, in order to determine who might have access to useful project files and where those files might be.

"Mister Billings," Tomax's voice drew out the man's name. "When are we –"

"going to get to –"

"see the new site?"

"We are concerned –"

"with this new –"

"budget request."

"W-we've been making preparations to depart by this time two days from now." Lady Jaye could sense the employee sweating. Anyone would be intimidated by the big boss. With the twins, one was usually kept so busy trying to keep up with which of the two to look in the eye, that they weren't able to keep their nerves in check.

"You knew we –" this time, Xamot was the one who started.

"would arrive here –"

"two days ago," they both said at once, emphasizing their point.

"R-right, but it has taken us more time than we thought to make the preparations to secure your safety."

"This whole project–"

"is taking you –"

"longer than we had thou –" Xamot was interrupted by an electronic recurring beep. Lady Jaye presumed correctly that it was some sort of important message from Cobra.

Tomax's voice softened. "If you will excuse us –"

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Billings left the office. Lady Jaye surveyed the man's expression and following actions, but her attentions were soon caught up in what she could hear through the walls.

"Major Bludd, to what – "

"do we owe this pleasure?"

"You've been summoned back to headquarters," replied Major Bludd. "You're to be here by tomorrow morning."

"We're in the middle – "

"of something here – "

"if you hadn't heard."

"I know that bloody well," spat Major Bludd. He was annoyed at the insinuation that he somehow lower on the totem pole, especially at the moment because he was doing 'secretary' work in his mind. He told himself he was being paid rather well on retainer with Cobra. A mercenary was his own boss. One would think Cobra would remember that well when interacting with him. "Cobra Commander is expanding Operation Constrictor and wants you here now."

"Understood," the twins said. They didn't take Major Bludd's tone personally. They rarely took anything personally. Perhaps that's why they did not get fed up with Cobra Commander so quickly.

Lady Jaye heard the clicks of what she assumed to be communication screens being shut. Shortly thereafter, the twins emerged from the office.

"Linda," said Xamot. "Cancel our – "

"meetings. Regrettably – "

"we have urgent matters – "

"to attend to and – "

"must leave at once."

Most of the office workers seemed to understand what the twins meant. Perhaps they were used to the pair taking off at a moment's notice. Mr. Billings looked somewhat relieved.

"We will reschedule – "

"our visit for – "

"another date."

Lady Jaye watched the twins head for the stairway to the roof. She knew she didn't have much time to make a decision. With a little more luck, she might be able to plant a tracking device on the twins or their aircraft, and thus find the location of the new Cobra headquarters. However, if by doing so she attracted unwanted attention, she might hurt the chances the Joes had of getting more information from the Melbourne branch of Extensive Enterprises with regards to their local projects. She wasn't sure what to make of this 'Operation Constrictor' business either.

With the size of the building's footprint, there was probably another stairway leading to the helipad on the roof, though Cobra may have sealed it off. Lady Jaye decided she might as well try her luck and see. There wasn't much time.

Ducking out of the more traveled pathways through the floor, she got out her own communication device. "Dusty, this is Jaye. The twins are on the move to Cobra HQ. You and Ripcord prepare to follow by air. I'm going up to the roof to see what I can do from there."

Again luck was in Lady Jaye's favor as she found another roof access entry point. With most of the office's attention turned towards the twins, it was easy to slip in. She was tempted to rush up the stairs but decided to keep her disguise as long as possible just in case. It proved to be a prudent course of action as she was stopped by a guard at the top of the staircase.

"What are you doing up here?"

"Just going out for a dart," Lady Jaye waved a pack of cigarettes, acting oblivious to the twin's departure and trying to walk past the man. Hopefully that would be enough. She wondered if she should have just used the aggressive route. It was a tough call because technically it would be an unprovoked act of aggression. Despite the fact that there had been battles with Cobra in Extensive Enterprises buildings before, with the snakes having very obvious installations within the main building, the twins always managed to maintain completely unsullied by Cobra on paper. What she had on tape wouldn't be enough.

"Now just a second," he grabbed her arm, feeling the wire running down it. "Hey what's this?" The man's grip firmed and his expression turned from grim to grimmer.

Lady Jaye reacted quickly, using her free arm to punch the guard in the stomach. She followed by using his weight and her smaller size to flip him over the stairway railing, twisting her other arm out of his grip in the process and popping the man's buttons to reveal the standard Cobra blue uniform. The guard only managed to snatch off her wig and mask in the process, grabbing at the long synthetic locks. Lady Jaye hoped she would have enough time to act before the loud thud of the agent's fall onto the stairs below brought more men after her.

"So much for the quiet way," Lady Jaye burst onto the roof to see that the twin's transport had already taken off, but wasn't too far yet. She pulled out a collapsible javelin disguised as a feather duster from her work dress pocket and extended it to full length. From her other pocket, she pulled out a tracking tip and screwed it on. She was trying to give the illusion of trying to take down the transport when all she really wanted to do was get a tracker on it.

As Lady Jaye launched the javelin, swinging her full body into it, she was tackled from behind by a non-disguised Cobra grunt, sending the javelin awry. Damn, she thought. She twisted under the Cobra soldier and then rammed the bottom of her palm up and under his chin, using the stun to kick him off in the process. Lady Jaye was quickly on her feet, taking a defensive stance. Eight more Cobra agents appeared from one of the staircases back from the building and rushed her way. Things didn't look good. She knew she wasn't up to fending off that many by herself without any weapons, much less any more that should show up. Fortunately, Cobra's standard policy when dealing with small teams was to take prisoners.

The first two agents Lady Jaye took out pretty easily with her fists. She knew coming in she wouldn't be prepared to take the third and onward, but would do her best to minimize any injury she might receive. It would be progress and she would congratulate herself if, when, she made it back to base. Cobra agents were encouraged to be unnecessarily brutal.

"Hey snakes! Don't forget about us!" Alpine's timing was impeccable as always. He had Quick Kick in tow. The distraction took some of the pressure off of Lady Jaye and allowed to prepare her for the ones still coming her way.

Alpine and Quick Kick worked their way towards Lady Jaye. The snakes were persistent, but at least they were beginning to eliminate some of them from the fight. The problem was that more could show up at any time. With the three of them together, they could at least guard each other's backs with their presence alone.

Relief came in the form of the tell-tale sound of dual rotating blades. A rope ladder came tumbling down from the side of the Tomahawk.

"Ladies first!" said Alpine as he gave Lady Jaye a boost up to a higher part of the ladder. He immediately got on under her and they both began climbing to give Quick Kick some room, the Tomahawk rising in altitude for the same reason. Quick Kick was certainly the most capable of fending off the rest of the Cobra agents, eventually getting a break to jump onto the ladder.

"Smooth piloting!" Lady Jaye complimented Rock n' Roll as she stepped aboard the craft. "I didn't know you flew."

"Yeah well, I wish I could say it was a breeze, but I was seriously holding my breath there," said Rock n' Roll humbly. "But it was either this or climbing with Alpine."

Lady Jaye laughed. "I'm with you on that one." Catching her breath, she radioed Dusty. "I was unable to get a transmitter attached."

"I'll see what we can do," Dusty's voice crackled over the receiver.

"The planes they're in aren't all that stealthy," said Alpine, sitting against the wall of the Tomahawk taking a breather. "Loaners from our Aussie friends."

"Hopefully Hawk won't freak at the bill should we rough them up a bit," said Quick Kick as he climbed aboard.

"Well, this mission wasn't quite what we were expecting," said Lady Jaye.

"Why'd they suddenly take off for Cobra HQ?" asked Alpine.

"Got me," said Lady Jaye. "Urgent command relayed through Major Bludd. Something about an 'Operation Constrictor' but they didn't say much more. If only I'd made that shot."

"I'm impressed you got far enough to even throw with all that was going on up there," said Alpine. "I have to ask though, if you had hit them, wouldn't the javelin have gone falling down onto people on the street below?"

"My javelin all have specialized automatic parachutes," said Lady Jaye wryly. "Doesn't everything these days?"

"Seriously?"

"No," Lady Jaye smiled mischeviously. "Had it hit, their shadow would still be over the building. If they were further than that, they would have been too far for me to hit anyway."

Alpine looked embarrassed. Usually he was the one pulling someone's leg, not the other way around. "Well, you never know, we did put an automatic parachute on a dog after all."

#-#-#-#-#

"Man, these things handle awfully," Ripcord said over the com.

"Well, Australia isn't often going to war," said Dusty. "And we're a bit spoiled with the SkyStrikers."

"These snakes shouldn't have enough fuel to lead us in circles," Ripcord didn't speak the possibility of their loaner jets not having enough fuel to get back from wherever they were going. The two Joes were following the twins from as far a distance as their equipment could keep track. It wasn't an ideal situation but it was the best they could do. So far it had been pretty quiet. "Depending on how far they're going, they might switch craft somewhere too."

"It also seems like they don't have enough time, given their abrupt departure," said Dusty. It looked like they might be playing a waiting game at jet speed.

"Uh oh," Ripcord's voice put down that notion. "Looks like we have Rattlers." Ripcord had to give the twins credit. To have Rattlers facing them so shortly after Lady Jaye's cover had been blown wasn't something he'd expect other Cobra leaders to be able to pull off.

"Think we can take them? These might not be SkyStrikers, but those are still pieces of junk."

"We might as well give it a try."

"Negative on that," Lady Jaye's voice came through over the com. She must have gotten to the Aussie's base. "Engage only if attacked."

"What should we do? Let the twins go?" Dusty asked incredulously.

"Looks like we'll have to," said Lady Jaye. "Cobra knows we're following them. Engaging the Rattlers would be needless combat. Make it through that and what are you going to do? Engage the twin's craft? You know we can't keep them in custody with what we have now." The twins might drag their feet to get one of Cobra's mercenaries out of prison. It wasn't an easy task. For themselves though it was swift and simple.

"Plus," continued Lady Jaye. She felt she had come off a bit harsh. "Our friends here would rather have their jets in one piece. You don't want to know how long it takes to requisition another."

"Roger that," Dusty remembered his pre-Joe days. It sure was nice having Hawk fight most of those battles preemptively for them. "We're on our way back."


	4. In the Weeks Before Pt 1

"Don't worry," Zartan had an amused but smug tone. "I think that this new distraction you cooked up fits the operation rather well. We slowly put more and more pressure on the Joes from all sides until we can devour them whole."

Dr. Mindbender made no reply, continuing to wring his hands nervously. Zartan was leaning against a wall near the Cobra scientist. He normally wouldn't bother reassuring some Cobra lackey but much preferred Mindbender to Destro. Best get the doctor on his side early.

The others in the room were well out of hearing range, except maybe Storm Shadow who was dutifully standing by Cobra Commander's side. Zartan wasn't sure the extent of the white ninja's hearing range. Major Bludd was on the opposite side of Cobra Commander's throne, his eternal sneer in its least provoked state. The Crimson twins were also along the other wall, dressed in uniforms instead of suits, but still looking rather business-like. The Baroness was standing more towards the center of the room but back towards the door, no doubt waiting for one who had not arrived. In the center of the room stood the four Cobra agents selected by the Commander over the past 48 hours.

The lull was broken by the grandiose entrance of Destro. He was always late. Zartan wondered if he did it on purpose just to make an entrance. He supposed it was all part of Destro's clear desire not to be there. Zartan rolled his eyes. The snobby, uptight arms dealer didn't have to come to these meetings if he really didn't want to. No one was forcing him. His new technology wasn't coming into play until much later.

"Ah Destro, finally decided to grace us with your presence did you?" Cobra Commander's reaction was the same as always.

"Let us skip the formalities and get down to business," Destro replied, his tone indicating the entire ordeal was wasting his time. He took up a position next to the Baroness.

"Well, as I was just telling everyone else," Cobra Commander actually hadn't been telling everyone else. "These are the agents who will carry out the extended plans for phase one of Operation Constrictor."

The Cobra leader gestured to the four agents standing at attention in the center of the room. There were three men and one woman. All were wearing a variant of the standard blue Cobra uniform, the difference being the color of the Cobra logo. Instead of the usual red, each had a different color – green, white, yellow, and purple.

"For the purposes of this operation," Cobra Commander continued. "You will refer to these agents as Mr. Green, Mrs. White, Colonel Mustard, and Professor Plu –"

"What is this foolishness? Cluedo, Cobra Commander?" Destro jumped in, his voice raised.

"What are you talking about?!" Cobra Commander spat back.

"I believe you call it Clue," Destro composed himself.

"Stop mumbling nonsense!" Cobra Commander was unmoved.

"I don't think he knows, dahling," the Baroness softly spoke to Destro, her hand moved to his chest, a symbolic gesture telling him to back down as he was creeping forward with each word.

Zartan smiled. He loved using Cobra Commander to push Destro's buttons. The fact that Cobra Commander thought this naming idea was brilliant was only icing on the cake. What was the point of being a known criminal if one didn't get to enjoy oneself? Zartan could understand the two men's reasons for wanting world domination, but thought it imprudent at best. Cobra Commander and Destro rarely seemed like they were enjoying themselves. Of course, Zartan didn't care all that much, he was getting paid well whatever the two of them did.

Despite Zartan's lack of interest in power, he had gained quite a following of individuals who felt the same way he did. Though these people professed to hate rules, they quickly put themselves under Zartan's. They were still sheep in need of a leader, just a different one than their own governments offered them. Without trying or caring, in many ways Zartan had achieved similar power to Cobra Commander. It wasn't quite on the same scale, but it was growing.

"Anyway, you will see to it that these agents get what they need, within reason, to complete their proposals. The Crimson Guard commanders will take care of Mr. Green – "

"Wait, Cobra Commander – " started Tomax.

"We are very busy," said Xamot.

"with the operations"

"in Australia."

"Not to mention,"

"the normal flow"

"of business."

"Part of the reason we need to do this in the first place is because you two are taking so long in Australia. Surely the Crimson Guard can handle a little assignment such as this one." Cobra Commander's tone was somewhere between a mock and a threat.

"Yes, Cobra Commander," the twins said simultaneously and then turned to each other and gave themselves a knowing look.

"Major Bludd will be seeing to the needs of Colonel Mustard; the Baroness will take care of Mrs. White; and Dr. Mindbender will take Professor Plum," Cobra Commander finished.

"But Cobra Commander," Dr. Mindbender's hands spread before him. "I have other matters in this operation to attend to."

"My dear Dr. Mindbender," Cobra Commander was mocking him. "We're doing this so you can wait for your 'perfect moment.' I'm not paying you to twiddle your thumbs while we're waiting."

Dr. Mindbender only looked back at Cobra Commander dejectedly.

"You're all dismissed," the Cobra leader said evenly. He waited and watched while his agents and colleagues filed out of the room. Once they were gone, he turned to Storm Shadow. "Follow the good Dr. Mindbender. See that no harm comes to him before we launch the next phase."

Storm Shadow nodded and was soon on his way.

#-#-#-#-#

Not finding Scarlett at her desk, Lady Jaye tried the sparring mats. She was surprised to find not only Scarlett, but Beachhead and a class full of greenshirts as well. They appeared to be just getting started. The greenshirts were still standing in lines at attention. Lady Jaye guessed by their expressions that this would be their first time training with Scarlett. Many looked at the redhead like she was just another one of Beachhead's insults to their prowess. They were indeed green in every sense of the word when it came to GI Joe. Only a few seemed cautious in judgment, no doubt thanks to what Beachhead had dished them out earlier. Lady Jaye made a mental note to look those few up and keep an eye on them.

"So those the new crop huh? Anyone interesting?" Lady Jaye turned to see Alpine. She smiled. The other guys must have sent him to scope out the new men around the base, knowing that Alpine's duties would probably be light the day after returning from Australia.

"Too early for me to tell," she replied. "I just got here myself." Lady Jaye noticed Beachhead and Scarlett look at her questioningly and making their way over. She made no move to wave them off. She hadn't planned on interrupting anything but did want to know what was going on. She had assumed that Scarlett would be going to the same meeting she was.

"Jaye! Alpine! When did you two get back?" Scarlett said with a wide grin.

"Yesterday afternoon. Where have you been?" Lady Jaye chuckled.

"Block D, with a sponge," Scarlett said with a sigh but returned to smiling quickly. She didn't want to complain too much while it was her friends who were doing the truly difficult work.

"At least it's not a toothbrush," Lady Jaye offered. She didn't envy Scarlett. Block D had taken damage during Cobra's attack on the base when GI Joe's funding had been cut by synthoid versions of the military brass. Fortunately the area had been mostly used for storage. It hadn't been a high priority, so while structural damage was taken care of, it hadn't been cleaned up enough to resume its function or be converted for another use. It was a sizable area. Lady Jaye wondered if Scarlett would really be able to complete it during her assigned punishment.

"It's about time we did something about Block D," said Alpine. "Don't worry Scarlett, I'm sure you'll have some help with it soon, now that it's started." Alpine's tone suggested he knew who this help would be specifically and why they would be helping. Beachhead was tempted to ask but decided he didn't need the aggravation. Lady Jaye and Scarlett knew better than to even think it.

"Duke still on your case?" Lady Jaye sidestepped Alpine's prescient remarks.

"Eh, I haven't seen him recently, too busy with the chores," Scarlett tried to seem nonchalant about it. It had only been a couple days and there were plenty of reasons why they wouldn't run into each other, but the situation still made her uncomfortable. She changed the subject. "So how was Australia?"

"Not as nice as I hoped," Lady Jaye sighed herself this time. "We ended up in a tussle with some snakes – "

"You should have seen Jaye on that roof, showing off her hand-to-hand, you would have been proud," said Alpine.

"I didn't have anything to do with it, but I'd love to hear the details," said Scarlett, raising her hands as if to wave away any credit. While she was glad to help on the rare occasion that Lady Jaye had time to get some extra training in, she didn't think it was really enough to show.

"I think it will have to wait," Beachhead interjected. The chatting had gone on long enough considering there were troops to attend to. "Right now, Scarlett has a class to teach."

"I take it you aren't going to be attending the meeting then?" Lady Jaye asked Scarlett. She had originally come looking for Scarlett to catch up before the meeting began. She hadn't expected that the counter intelligence agent wouldn't be attending.

"Nope, hopefully the paperwork will be as good as the real thing," said Scarlett.

"It'll be faster at least," said Beachhead gruffly as he started making his way out of the gym. Lady Jaye took it as her signal to get going as well. Alpine found a more permanent space inside the gym to watch the new troops.

"I'm sure I can keep these boys entertained while you're gone," Scarlett said mischievously.

"I wasn't doubting that," Beachhead said tersely, continuing on his way before pausing and turning back towards her. "Scarlett, give 'em hell."

"Sure thing!" Scarlett grinned broadly. Beachhead barely talked to her in the mornings, just enough to make sure she wasn't developing any training injuries. It was nice to have him act a little more friendly towards her, especially because he was one of the few Joes she really had much contact with lately.

Beachhead and Lady Jaye made their way to Duke's office without speaking. Beachhead wasn't the kind of person who was uncomfortable in silence. He was glad that Lady Jaye had given up trying to make smalltalk with him. Something about her attitude and mannerisms reminded him too much of the people he didn't like when he was growing up. He could tell that he rubbed her the wrong way too. He respected her for her skills but he didn't appreciate what he felt were excuses for her weaknesses. That was true for most people, but something about the way she handled it just grated on him.

Flint and Duke were waiting when they arrived. They must have taken longer chatting with Scarlett than they thought. Lady Jaye was a bit unnerved that Beachhead would be attending. It was a rarity as usually he had other stuff to do. After all, it was just a a post-briefing on what was supposed to have been a routine surveillance operation. Lady Jaye surmised things were really quiet lately if three of the senior staff were going to listen to her summary briefing.

Lady Jaye instinctively took a position near to where Flint was standing but not so close as to raise any questions of her professionalism. If it had just been Duke and Scarlett, she may not have worried about such things, but when in the company of those not in she or Flint's inner circle of friends, she exercised more caution. In their early days dating, Lady Jaye and Flint had been more unsure of how to conduct themselves, sometimes avoiding each other like the plague in front of others. In present times, they had found a happy medium that seemed natural and friendly to others but said a deeper "I care" to each other.

"Welcome back," said Duke.

"Thanks," Lady Jaye smiled. She was amused by the shortness of the formalities. Flint had welcomed her back the day before and Beachhead sure wasn't going to say anything. "I guess I'll get started then. I don't think there's really much to say that wasn't in the preliminaries I filed upon getting back. It's unclear whether the Melbourne office is working on something directly Cobra related or is just a money-making venture. Whichever it is, it's clearly behind schedule. Major Bludd contacted the twins to demand their immediate appearance at Cobra HQ to discuss something only referred to as 'Operation Constrictor.' Our attempt to follow them was thwarted both by Cobra agents in the building and Rattlers in the sky. Any questions?"

"So basically we found nothing useful and Cobra knows we were there so we can't exactly go back and pick up where we left off," Beachhead got right to the point. Lady Jaye was expecting it, but it still felt like salt in a wound.

"Well, we know Cobra is up to something – " started Lady Jaye.

"Cobra is always up to something," Beachhead interrupted.

"If you would let me finish," Lady Jaye utilized her 'annoyed third grade teacher' voice, which she had found fairly effective around the base. "We know Cobra is up to something that is probably keeping their attention off Melbourne for the time being. While they might be extra cautious since our altercation, they're still not exactly Cobra's most elite operatives – if they're even Cobra. We don't know if the office workers had any knowledge of what was going on up on the roof. I think we can restart our surveillance."

"Perhaps we should put a tail on this Billings guy," said Flint cautiously. A Rhodes scholar and he was still unsure what to do when Lady Jaye and Beachhead started butting heads. Sometimes she would be upset if he got involved as she felt she could handle it on her own and didn't want to appear like she was hiding behind him. Sometimes she would be upset if he didn't offer some sort of support. Apparently there was some logic behind which situation called for what but despite even having it 'explained' to him, Flint could never figure it out.

"If I were Cobra and the Australian work was important, I would probably hand it off to someone in the company we weren't caught listening in on," said Duke.

"I wasn't caught listening in on them," said Lady Jaye. "I was caught rushing after the twins."

"You were caught with a wire," said Duke.

"Regardless, we should do some follow up. We don't need to send our best undercover agents," Flint said, glancing appreciatively in Lady Jaye's direction. "We can follow Billings and determine pretty fast whether he's still busy or whether he's been transferred to desk clerk. We'll send a couple agents to keep an eye on the office from the next building over and see if we can find anything."

Duke nodded slowly, thinking about Flint's words. "Sounds reasonable. Lady Jaye, can you put together a proposal for who to send? Attach it to your formal report. It should be some people we can afford to have down there for a while." Duke left it unsaid that he wanted to reserve some people for whatever this 'Operation Constrictor' business was.

"Is there anything else?" asked Lady Jaye. The room was quiet.

"I guess that's it then," said Duke. After Flint and Lady Jaye left, Duke turned to Beachhead and grinned. "That wasn't so bad was it?"

"I'm still not sure why I had to come," said Beachhead.

"The experience is good for you," said Duke. "You don't often have time to participate after all. Just wanted to keep you in the loop."

I'm sure I can run these things just fine when you and Flint are gone, thought Beachhead. He wouldn't say such a thing to his commanding officer though. It wasn't like he hadn't ever conducted military briefings before GI Joe. Joe ones were so informal, anyone could run them, perhaps that was the point Duke was trying to make.

"Oh, by the way," Duke added. "How are the new greenshirts?"

"Pretty standard. No stand outs yet," said Beachhead. "I should probably get back to them. The new ones always need to be babysat."

#-#-#-#-#

Stalker looked down from the observation windows onto the sparring mats in the gym. Earlier that day they had been filled with freshly transferred greenshirts trying to show off to one another. Now there was just one man, diligently training for every possibility he could imagine, without concern for whoever in the building stopped by to watch. It was hard to take ones eyes off of him when one had the chance to see.

"It's amazing how he does that," said Doc, walking over to lean against the windows beside Stalker.

"Hey Doc," said Stalker. "Odd to see you out of the infirmary during the day. Everyone being extra healthy lately?"

"Sadly no," Doc chuckled. "I'm giving the new guy a taste of running the place during the day. It'll sure be nice to have another Joe in the infirmary... though this one will probably be sent out into the field more often than I am."

"How is the new guy? Lifeline... I believe was his name?"

"Better than I had hoped for. He's very talented. I would trust him to sew me up, no problem."

"That's always reassuring."

"Plus, he's got a great personality. I thought he was meek at first, but I was wrong. He's polite and calm, but he's got a lot of strength, quiet strength. He works really well with all the nurses – has some great leadership qualities."

"I'd say I looked forward to meeting him," Stalker grinned. "But I rather not find myself injured."

"Well, hopefully you'll meet him when he's assigned to you instead of the more painful method," Doc turned his head towards the gym. "So how's he doing? Usually when something like that happens to a guy, they leave the military and the aftercare isn't my problem. I really don't know what to do with him." Doc felt a little guilty that he really wasn't prepared for Snake Eyes' situation.

"Don't be down on yourself. I don't think anyone really knows what to do with him – even before... " Stalker wasn't sure what to call it. 'Accident' was probably the word but didn't have the right connotation. "Anyway, he's always been hard to read. Sometimes I think that that losing his voice and his face has made it easier for him to communicate and connect with others."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, back when he could talk, he just didn't. Well he did, but not much. It really freaked people out, seemed cold. Now that he can't talk, people don't expect him to, and thus are more open to the way he is... and almost in turn, because they're more open to him, he's more open to them. He's trying more. Heck, sometimes he's even downright silly these days. Who'da thunk it? Snake Eyes. Silly."

Doc rubbed his chin, considering Stalker's words. Stalker continued. "That's not to say it was a good thing. There's just a little silver lining on a very gloomy cloud, y'know? Anyway, just my opinion. Perhaps it says more about me than it does about him."

"I know what you mean. Everyone I ask seems to see something different – super commando, tortured soul, ninja master, unhinged lunatic. The man's like a walking inkblot and most people, though they like him, see something extreme. He's probably somewhere in the middle."

"Aren't we all?" asked Stalker rhetorically. "Anyway, until the man decides he wants help, there's not much you can do."

"Not much I could do if he did. I'm trying to build up our internal psych unit. We're looking at some candidates for a Joe to run it apart from my job. A lot of guys are resistant, so it may end up more psy-ops, but it will still be a step in the right direction," Doc glanced down into the gym again. "I just can't imagine waking up in a hospital like that, no way to communicate, no idea what happened, being told you're stuck like that and no one will ever know exactly why."

"Yeah, it seems unfair, he's always been so prepared," said Stalker. "Now if you'll excuse me, all this talk has reminded me that it's been a while since I called home. I am suddenly feeling especially mortal."

"Sorry."

"Nah, it's good to keep these things in mind."


	5. In the Weeks Before Pt 2

Two quiet weeks had passed since Lady Jaye's mission in Australia. It wasn't exactly a vacation. There were still small Cobra cells to bust, not to mention plenty of work around the base. Flint had recently returned from a business trip to see Hawk over in Washington, afforded by the lack of Cobra activity. However, Lady Jaye knew from recent intelligence that things would be changing soon. As such, she fully expected to be out in the field within the next 48 hours.

Even if Lady Jaye hadn't been privy to the gathered information, she would have probably realized something was up. The rest of the base had mostly caught on. Only a few days earlier, the Joes had been restless, like rambunctious school children on a rainy day. Presently, there was a grim quiet by comparison – people busily finishing up their various chores and preparing to ship out.

Impending action not withstanding, there were still the mundane tasks to be done, namely the laundry. Ever since the Joe women had wrangled (and adequately defended from interlopers) a female-only time slot in the laundry room, it had actually be something Lady Jaye half looked forward to. It was relaxing to have a scheduled girl's meeting, whether they used it or not. Furthermore, its very existence was a reminder to the guys not to let their eyes wander should the ladies be in at other times.

Cover Girl was transferring her pre-treated clothing from a bin into one of the washing machines when Lady Jaye arrived in the laundry room. Motor oil stains, especially on coveralls and smocks, came with the territory. Not having space in her quarters, Cover Girl usually had a bin of soaking clothing in the motor pool. Clutch had been the originator of that idea. When Cover Girl gave him a rare compliment for it, he had bought her a bin of her own, in pink. She got a lot of ribbing over it but knew that buying another color wouldn't stop the teasing.

"Hi," said Lady Jaye. She quickly began transferring her own clothes into a machine.

"Hi," Cover Girl returned the greeting. "So, you think I'll be going out on whatever mission people are whispering about?" Not every mission needed a Wolverine, though Cover Girl was sure every mission could be made better with a Wolverine. It wasn't like she was the only one who could drive one either, she was just the best. Furthermore, she had plenty of other talents and qualifications in the field as well. She knew, however, that she was quite useful in the motor pool as well, doing support. She didn't get as much action as some people did.

"Missions," Lady Jaye emphasized the plurality of the word.

"Aaah, so that's why everyone's running around. Chances are good."

"My guess is that you're going to be held in reserve though," said Lady Jaye, trying to look sympathetic. "I'm sure you'd be especially useful on at least one of the things we've uncovered, but there's something else on the horizon that they might be saving you for. That's just my guess though. You never know what those crazy men may do."

"So are you going to tell me the details or what?"

"Sorry, you'll have to wait just like everyone else," Lady Jaye smiled devilishly. Cover Girl made an exaggerated pouting face. Lady Jaye knew that if the item she spoke of did turn out to require GI Joe intervention, the team would be needing all the women they could get to go undercover. It was a let down that gender sometimes trumped getting to use one's other skills, but such was the nature of their work. Lady Jaye changed the subject. "So where's Scarlett?"

"I don't know, probably Block D," Cover Girl frowned. "I think she's being stubborn about actually finishing that disaster."

"Now that Shipwreck's helping out some with a mop, she might be able to do it," said Lady Jaye. Shipwreck had somehow convinced a troupe of acrobats from a traveling circus nearby to visit the base. Flint had not been amused when Shipwreck returned on the Silver Mirage along with ten costumed civilians fanned out behind him, also on the motorcycle, spinning plates. Lady Jaye suspected that Flint's choice of punishment had been for Scarlett's benefit. He had even been thoughtful enough to schedule things so Shipwreck worked in the mornings, so as not to harass Scarlett.

"Don't remind me," Cover Girl cringed. Shipwreck had claimed that the stunt was in honor of her birthday. She was almost touched, except for the fact that it wasn't her birthday. She had found herself explaining said fact to numerous well wishers for the two days that followed. Shipwreck had gotten the month and day transposed.

"So, Scarlett really so stir crazy that she's diving into cleaning?" asked Lady Jaye as she took another pile of clothes to the sink and began to wash them by hand.

"I get the impression that it's more 'I'll show him! I'm actually going to get all of this stuff done!' ...yeah, it doesn't make much sense when you think about it, like he's even going to realize, much less take it like that. But like I said, she's being stubborn," replied Cover Girl.

"I take it those two are still not talking then," said Lady Jaye. A slow period had meant less time out in the field and more time spent on base. With everyone around, social happenings and gossip were more carefully examined. People were starting to notice Duke and Scarlett avoiding the very subject of one another. For a man Lady Jaye considered to be a nice guy but also one of the biggest dorks on the planet, Duke could sure get the rumor mill going.

"I think Scarlett was trying, but gave up after she couldn't find him. He's been very good at avoiding her." Cover Girl mused to herself over the situation. She had developed a small crush on Duke when they first met. He was a handsome and polite authority figure. He continued to shine as a Mr. Perfect Hero type. She wondered if her interest was piqued partially because he didn't seem overly interested in her. Of course, now there were plenty of Joes she could say that about – Flint, Spirit, Beachhead, and so on. Regulations aside, it wasn't as if she could do anything about it. She didn't see him all that often and whenever she did, he was with Scarlett. Now that he was immaturely avoiding Scarlett, he didn't seem like as nice a guy as she had thought, and again she wasn't doing anything, despite the fact she would have more of a chance in the current situation. Why did it matter anyway? She certainly didn't need a man to define herself. She laughed at herself and her stupid mixed up feelings.

"Something funny?" asked Lady Jaye.

"Um," Cover Girl paused. "Just amused at the situation. Anyway, next time we're all on base, let's force Scarlett to join us. She's been looking a little down."

"So we should invite her to do more cleaning?" Lady Jaye smiled as she continued to scrub the clothes in the sink.

"Well, I certainly hope she's not wearing dirty uniforms!"

"At least those go quickly," Lady Jaye sighed. "Remind me never to buy hand wash only when going undercover."

"I always remind you," said Cover Girl with a grin. "But you always say 'but this one is just so perfect for the character!'"

"Guilty as charged," said Lady Jaye sheepishly.

"So are you going to keep any of those?"

"Nah, I think these are mostly going to be donated. I can't see being able to use them again... and if I were caught dead in them, promise me you'll let everyone know it was for a mission."

#-#-#-#-#

Tired of being in his office for most of the day, Duke decided that he and Flint could hold their meeting while walking around the base. There wasn't anything too sensitive to worry about, the rest of the base would know what was up soon.

"Hawk sends good tidings," said Flint. "He thinks after another half year or so, he might be able to spend more time here."

"He always says that," said Duke. He felt sorry for Hawk.

"So, sounds like I came back just in time for the party," Flint grinned.

"Yeah," Duke handed him a heavy manila envelope. "You can read all about it in here, if Jaye hasn't told you already."

"We find better things to talk about, usually. Care to give me the abridged version?"

"We're pretty sure there's Cobra activity in New York, Texas, and the tribal Amazon."

"That's quite the list. Texas oil and Amazon diamonds maybe? Sounds like the ingredients for a new super weapon, and what better place to take hostage than New York?"

"We're not sure what they're up to in the Amazon. It could be diamonds, you never know. However, in Texas, all signs point to helium, not oil."

"They're after the National Helium Reserve, huh?" Flint thought out loud. "Superconductivity, cryogenics, deep sea operations... who knows what they'll use it for."

"The question is, why do they need so much of it? Surely they could just buy what they needed."

"I half hope it's just Cobra Commander's greed. It's a limited resource after all."

"Hard to believe we waste it on balloons at kiddie parties," said Duke. "Anyway, I'm glad you're interested because that one is going to be your problem."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you'll be taking Lady Jaye, Gung Ho, Roadblock, Snake Eyes, Stalker, Doc, and a company of greenshirts with you. There are definitely Cobra troops in the area. The details are in the envelope."

"You're surprisingly generous with the assignments," smiled Flint.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Duke smirked. "We have to be careful whenever there's a chance of serious combat on US soil, but let me know if you have an changes to request. It's your mission."

"So what about New York and the Amazon?"

"I'm taking the Amazon, along with Beachhead, Recondo, Spirit, Ace, Ripcord, Lifeline and Shipwreck. Maybe a few more. Things can get really hairy out there. I'm looking forward to seeing what Beachhead is like in action. We're not as sure about what's going on in New York, but I'm sending Airtight, Tripwire, Barbecue and Mutt ahead to guard against any explosive or chemical threats to the populace."

"If you're taking Beachhead and I'm taking Stalker, who are you leaving in charge?"

"Wild Bill."

Flint raised an eyebrow, he wasn't sure who he was expecting to hear, but certainly not someone who was still dealing with bonus PT and KP.

"He's got plenty of experience from back when he was with the air calvary," explained Duke. "He may seem laid back but I trust him to keep a handle on things while we're gone."

"How are things going in Australia?"

"Dusty reports that Billings continues to be on the go, but he's beginning to wonder if it's a feint. He's working on finding a way back into the Extensive Enterprises offices. That cleaning service we used last time isn't too happy about losing their contract."

"Anything else I should know?" Flint asked as the two men turned to make their way back into the main building.

"There's this new diet craze – "

"Jeez Duke, I did go out to eat a lot while in Washington but..."

Duke rolled his eyes. "It's called 'The Carob Method.' Some mumbo jumbo about using carob instead of chocolate. They're opening fitness centers in some key markets across the country. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but it seems like a classic Cobra pop culture plot, especially with the Cobra anagram right there in the name, but we don't have anything else to go on, so I'm sending Alpine to do a little spy work for us."

"And if it's legit?"

"Then we need to send some people undercover. If Lady Jaye isn't back by that time, we'll have to send Cover Girl alone. No one will believe men in GI Joe shape would jump on the latest diet fad, but women on the other hand..."

"I gotcha. Speaking of which, how's Scarlett doing?"

"Uh, Beachhead hasn't reported anything bad, she must be doing well enough by his standards," Duke looked around, checking to see if anyone else was in hearing range.

"So the rumors are true," Flint was having some fun at Duke's expense.

"Rumors?"

"That you're giving Scarlett the cold shoulder,"Flint said matter-of-factly.

"That's not true," Duke said defensively. "We're just very busy... on separate projects." Duke thought the term 'cold shoulder' was a bit harsh. He wasn't ignoring her to her face, he was just avoiding her, though he wasn't going to admit it to anyone. There was plenty of reason why the two wouldn't be running into each other as much, especially with all the chores on Scarlett's plate. The few times he had thought about approaching her, everything he considered saying to her sounded inappropriate in his mind. There was no reason to go and yell at her some more. Everything else, despite the fact he would have no qualms saying it to Shipwreck in the same situation, sounded too playful for the current circumstances.

"So busy that you always find a reason to be out of your office when Scarlett's reports are due, every single day?" Flint's tone suggested he didn't believe Duke. "So busy that you only go to the mess when you know she has something else scheduled? Yet... not too busy to lose twenty dollars to Ace at the poker table."

"I would like to point out that I did come in second that night. Ace was the only one I lost money to," said Duke.

"Trying to change the subject are we? Haven't you thought that doing this is only going to drive her towards other people?" Flint motioned his head towards the observation windows into the gym.

Following Flint's lead, Duke looked down into the gym, specifically at the sparring mats that had been set up. Had he been thinking about it, he probably would have realized it was about the time of day that Scarlett and Snake Eyes would be training. Scarlett appeared to be working on a stance he didn't recognize in particular. She had leg in front of the other, crouching. Snake Eyes stood behind her, his arms around her, holding her wrists to adjust the position of her arms. Duke wondered, did Snake Eyes really have to do it that way?

Duke chided himself for thinking like that. At the same time, he realized that he hadn't ever really thought of Snake Eyes as a man before Flint's last statement. He had been thinking of Snake Eyes as some sort of genderless, benevolent, inhuman entity. It was easy to do as the commando always appeared as a faceless black silhouette. He had always respected him, been impressed with him, thought of him as a comrade, and meant it only in a good way; but the fact that he had dehumanized a fellow Joe in that way made him feel very guilty.

Finally remembering to reply to Flint, Duke spoke. "It's not like that."

"Right," said Flint, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, regardless of what 'it's like,' don't you have a duty to at least check up on your subordinates yourself, if you're going to lay down the law like that?" Flint knew Duke wouldn't be able to counter that one and began to grin as Duke's frustrated silence lengthened.

"Oh all right," Duke made a face at Flint's grin. "I'll check up on her after I get back from the jungle." Noticing Flint wasn't very impressed by his sentiment, Duke explained. "I'm hoping to leave as soon as I can give the rest of the orders to the other teams and prep my own. The intelligence doesn't indicate a need to scramble the vehicles and rush out anywhere, but it's not like Cobra to waste too much time."

"Yeah, I better start assembling my own team," Flint seemed satisfied. He waved the manila envelope. "Right after I read this. I'll let you know if anything changes."

#-#-#-#-#

Major Bludd shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Colonel Mustard" had directed the troops to build watchtowers into various trees in the jungle. Bludd didn't really see a need for them. The troops would be harder to spot just climbing the trees as needed rather than having the hut-like installations. In the past few weeks, Bludd had learned that despite the agent's outward demeanor, Mustard was a man of select particularities, a dilettante still playing war.

The particular tree-hut Major Bludd now sat in served as their current base. There were a couple chairs, a table, and a wooden chess set that Bludd supposed Mustard kept around in order to imply how smart he was. Bludd was annoyed by all of Mustard's affectations. It was as if the man thought the way into the inner circle of Cobra involved weird mannerisms, a silly fake-sounding accent and funny unique clothing. Yes, Mustard had ditched his Cobra blues for something that his Clue counterpart would wear. He looked vaguely like Teddy Roosevelt on safari only with gold Cobra insignias on his sleeves.

Bludd again asked himself, why did he get saddled with this nitwit? He supposed it had something to do with his experience in the area. Again he found himself scoping out natives in the jungle. It was amazing there were so many tribes left that had been untouched by the reach of technology. He briefly wondered how the Yanomamo were doing – or rather, if they would be any use to him on the mission or if they were too far away.

Mustard's proposal had been simple. He planned to direct small armed machines by radio control to overrun villages. The indigenous people would be no match, just as they would have been no match for the equally superiorly armed Cobra troops. However, this was more an experiment for Mustard and a distraction for the GI Joes. After they had mowed down a village, they would go speak to the survivors directly and see if there were diamonds or any other resources in the area that would be useful to Cobra. It was odd for Bludd to think that a plan was unnecessarily brutal and wasteful of human life, but this one certainly was. Bludd preferred to use the tribes while they were still pretty much intact.

Major Bludd could tell that Mustard was really looking forward to trying his toys against the Joes. The man was often pontificating about how his superior tactical knowledge would be enough, there was no need to continue to develop advanced autonomous weapons. Bludd knew what that meant. It meant for some reason Mustard hated the Battle Android Trooper project.

The BAT project was in a dismal state. Bludd wasn't sure the Cobra engineers would ever reach the level of sophistication that Cobra Commander desired. He supposed that all things start that way though. Maybe Mustard had run afoul of the work-in-progress BAT's pathetic attempts at following instructions.

Colonel Mustard was testing the view with various binoculars and sights. He must have noticed Major Bludd watching him with disdain. He removed the current set of binoculars from his eyes. "You know old chap, this almost reminds me of wars of old. Here we are a colonel and a major, preparing our siege at daybreak."

Major Bludd cringed. Every time that bloody moron opened his mouth, something stupid came out. He wasn't sure where to start with what was wrong with that last drivel. "'Colonel Mustard' is just a code name you idiot! A temporary one! You're not a real colonel! Cobra doesn't even have colonels!"

"Does that mean you're not a real major?"

That's it, thought Major Bludd. I'm going to stop being on retainer with Cobra and go back to being an independent contract killer. I know who I'll kill first too. I'll only charge myself a bottle of wine!

"Look you little twerp," was what actually came out of Major Bludd's mouth. "I did attain the rank of major in a military setting before joining Cobra. People still use the title out of respect." He nearly spit out the 't' in respect. Mustard promptly shut up.

Major Bludd was rather proud of his rank. It had taken a lot of cunning to work his way up so quickly. He didn't even bother explaining to Mustard that 'major' meant something different in the French Foreign Legion than it did by most military scales. These days, Bludd probably responded more quickly to 'Major Bludd' than he did to his own first name. Furthermore, the name had become valuable in international criminal circles. It would be especially important if he really did disentangle himself further from Cobra and go back to straight contract work.

At some level, Bludd knew that it would be a bad idea to alter his relationship with Cobra. It wasn't that Cobra Commander might get mad and send a squad of Night Creepers after him. Bludd trusted Cobra Commander to recognize it would just be the nature of business, especially with other mercenaries like Zartan and Firefly taking a less ingrained role. The reason was that Bludd was getting older. His missing eye wasn't the only permanent injury he had sustained during his illustrious career. Directing Cobra's troops was like settling down for him.

Contract killing offered a more independent life. There were no lackluster troops or questionable comrades to ruin his work. However, it wasn't an easy life by any means. Working on contracts was always a headache of what constitutes an agreement and what it means to complete the job. Some clients were worse than Cobra Commander. Furthermore, it wasn't as lucrative as some people believed. Even if there was a hefty sum on top of expenses, that sum went to cover the costs of keeping with the latest equipment, meeting with potential clients, and hiding from the authorities in more and more countries as time went on. With the slew of know-nothings who would take a contract for a pittance (and likely end up in jail or killed when all was said and done) the going rate kept being pushed down.

Sticking with Cobra was definitely the way to go. Major Bludd hated to admit that he was pretty much a Cobra employee, despite the fact that he was set up as a mercenary on retainer. He preferred to be able to still consider himself a mercenary for hire. It allowed him to keep some sense of independence and identity. Some missions tried his patience though. He wondered if the others were having as bad a time with their assigned agents as he was with his.

-----

A/N: Thank you Axegrinder for the correction from Cobra Stops the World


	6. Mustard's First Stand

Recondo checked his compass. The GI Joe jungle expert had a top-notch sense of direction, but considering the Joes path through the densely packed foliage couldn't exactly be a straight line, it didn't hurt to make sure the group was still heading towards their target coordinates. Though intelligence hadn't reported a large number of Cobra troops sighted, Recondo had convinced Duke to add Rock n' Roll and Quick Kick to their mission. With disease, combat, and the threat of something larger, it was likely their team would be sending a few people home early.

Despite all the perils, Recondo was thrilled to be back in the jungle setting. The sticky heat was a welcome change from the cold winds of Autumn back at GI Joe headquarters. The lush plant life, moist ground, and constant chatter of birds and bugs made Recondo feel more in touch with the gritty reality of the world than the manufactured human habitats of civilization did. The thick drops of rain pelting his hat and soaking his clothing might not be the most comfortable thing in the world but at the same time it felt good to be one with the surroundings. Enjoying nature meant more than pretty views after all. Many enlisted men were unpleasantly surprised at what the military meant by 'see the world' but Recondo had gotten much of what he was expecting. The downside was war. However, Recondo saw it as a necessary evil in protecting the world he desired to see.

The flight in had been largely uneventful. The Amazon was far too dense to use SkyStrikers in actual combat. Ace had flown the sole fighter the team had brought along as an escort. It was probably a tough decision on Duke's part to take the team's best pilot on a mission that otherwise required little air support, but the fact it only tied up a single SkyStriker had probably been the deciding factor. Quick Kick had been in the pilot's seat of the Tomahawk. Inclement weather had nixed the possibility of a straight drop The team had touched down in the closest open area they could find to their target coordinates.

After concealing their SkyStriker and Tomahawk with tarps and brush, the majority of the team started making their way through the dense jungle, leaving Ace and Quick Kick with the equipment. Ace could be in the sky in a moments notice. Quick Kick would be there in case Cobra found their planes – and because Recondo didn't want to take him deeper into the jungle in his standard uniform. Furthermore, the two Joes would be able to relay any messages from Recondo's group back to headquarters.

Recondo looked back at the rest of the Joes. Spirit was right behind him, the tracker's keen eyes taking in all that could be seen, searching for signs of Cobra. Freedom, the eagle, had flown on ahead, extending Spirit's vision. One would have to be paying close attention to notice that Freedom's species was not native to the area. Third in the line came Duke, ever eager to find Cobra and put a stop to whatever they were doing.

Beachhead was bringing up the rear. Recondo had taught the new guy in the Joe chain of command some new tricks when it came to covering tracks in the jungle. Beachhead was a fast learner, diligently following Recondo's instructions while keeping up with the group. Both new guys, Beachhead and Lifeline, followed orders and kept pace with no complaints. Ripcord, Rock n' Roll, and Shipwreck made up the rest of the Joe party.

"Hey Polly," Shipwreck piped up, almost as if the silence made him antsy. "You could probably find a pretty good mate out here in the jungle."

"Squawk! Then who would look after you?"

"Quiet guys, I think we're getting close," Duke said with a hushed voice.

"Indeed, I can hear the faint rumblings of mechanized vehicles," said Spirit.

"Their machines will give us some sound cover," said Recondo. "But it's better to play it safe from here on out. We still have a ways to go."

"I just hope we're not too late to put a stop to whatever they're up to," said Duke.

With Recondo's navigation and Spirit's tracking, the Joes made their way through the thick, wet vegetation and mud. Recondo wasn't sure what he was expecting to see once they found their way to Cobra, but the scene before him definitely wasn't it. There were no Cobra agents in sight. Instead there was a sort of machine army. Each unit was a tall metallic pole with guns mounted on a vertical pivot. The firearms weren't especially heavy, more like something an ordinary foot soldier would be using in this situation. The pole itself could rotate atop its wide low base. The base was low to the ground with treads similar to that of a tank. The top of the base bore the Cobra insignia. The units were advancing upon a village, occasionally spraying the area with bullet and energy bursts.

Recondo quickly assessed the village. It was a collection of circular communal houses in a partial clearing. Judging by the size, there were probably similar settlements of the same people not too far away, rather than the village at hand containing all of the tribe. The Joes were already too late for some of the residents, their fallen bodies still held spears indicating that they had tried to resist. Further examining the tribal huts, Recondo concluded that the gunfire had been heavier earlier and that the machines were now conserving energy and ammo. The houses would probably be trampled out of existence by the end of the day. Then Recondo noticed the worst of it. There were still people having yet to escape.

"Damn!" Duke had apparently realized this fact as well. "We've got to go in there and rescue those people." He started to get up from his crouch.

"Not so fast," Recondo put his hand on Duke's shoulder, motioning him to stay down. He turned toward the rest of the Joes. "Those people don't know us from Cobra. We have to show them that we're not enemies. Only then can we approach the villagers."

"That means we have to make a big show of fighting those machines instead of a safer route out of the line of fire," said Duke.

"We can try to do it both ways," said Recondo. "I can take a few people and try to get around these things and take them out from the side while a couple of you make a lot of noise fighting those machines head on."

"I rather you be ready to deal with the natives," said Duke. "You're the only one with experience in these matters. I'll be the distraction. You, Ripcord, and Lifeline take care of the villagers. I'll let you make the call when the time is right. Beachhead, take everyone else around and see what you can do about these battling broomsticks."

"You're not going to make much of a show going by yourself," said Shipwreck. "Now ol' Shipwreck here knows how to make a lot of noise, ain't that right Polly?"

"Squawk! Right as rain!"

Before Duke could protest, Shipwreck continued. "We're going with you."

"The man's got a point," said Beachhead.

"Alright, but let's leave it at that," said Duke. "I rather we not have too many people in front of that spray."

The men dispersed in their respective directions. Recondo and Ripcord had their rifles ready. They were taking cover towards the back of the village, waiting for the right time to try to rescue the villagers. Lifeline was with them, unarmed, but keeping just as alert. With Duke and Shipwreck in the way, Recondo and Ripcord were unlikely to use their weapons, but kept them out both in case of a surprise attack from the other direction and to show the villagers that they were part of the same group. All five men (and one parrot) shouted the battle cry 'Yo Joe!' to signal to the tribe that they did not mean to sneak up on them, but came openly. As time went on, it became like a protective chant for their team.

Beachhead vaguely listened to the sounds of his teammates, keeping aware of them but also listening for other tell-tale sounds his ears might be able to pick up. The occasional metal pinging sound was likely the Joe weaponry having little effect on the Cobra units. Beachhead had hoped that an accurate shot would take out the staff portion of the moving artillery but it seems the things were built sturdy. It wasn't unlike Cobra to go cheap but these microphone stands with guns couldn't be that expensive in the first place.

"Looks like these things just march right along," breathed Rock n' Roll as he, Beachhead and Spirit made their way around the advancing units, using the rain forest trees as cover, the sounds of their boots against the wet mud covered by the sounds of the machines.

"They obviously have some way of getting around the trees in their way though," said Spirit. Freedom was perched on his shoulder, having rejoined the team before they reached the site. "They only keep such a rigid formation once they reach the clearing. It's strange."

"These things must have taken the natives by surprise," said Rock n' Roll as he peeked around a tree trunk to watch the Cobra machines. "Otherwise surely they'd be doing the same thing we are."

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Spirit looked thoughtful.

"Well, it seems gunfire isn't doing as good a job as I would have hoped," Beachhead said. "There are quite a few of them for that too."

"Grenades?" Rock n' Roll offered, bringing his free hand up to one attached to his bandolier.

"Too much chance of ricochet, both with the machines and the trees," Beachhead shook his head. "Not to mention how small your sweet spot on that is in order to not hit us or our teammates."

"You underestimate me," grinned Rock n' Roll. "I'll have you know, I'm an excellent Bocce player." He made an underarm throwing motion to demonstrate the concept.

"I think our answer may require eschewing our modern weapons for more of what those villagers may of done," smiled Spirit as he motioned his head towards the thick vines hanging from a nearby tree. He then turned to his eagle. "Freedom, if you would be so kind as to distract their sensors."

"Oh I getcha," Rock n' Roll smiled back, making his way to the vines with Spirit.

"Wait, what are you guys doing?" Beachhead didn't follow.

"Watch this," Rock n' Roll was still grinning as Spirit grabbed onto a vine and used it to swing over the Cobra units. At the same time Freedom also flew over on a skew angle. As Spirit had just about made it to the other side, Rock n' Roll cut the vine. As Rock n' Roll's end of the vine fell from its original height in the tree to Rock n' Roll's hands, there was enough length for Spirit to keep hold of his end of the vine as well, creating a clothesline across the Cobra machines, preventing them from moving forward.

Beachhead's eyes widened. "You guys pull stunts like this often?"

"More often than you'd think," said Rock n' Roll as he strained against the advancing units. "Better get used to it."

Beachhead grabbed hold of the vine as well. The Joes had the mechanical advantage against the machine's design at the vine's height. Their success was short lived though as the Cobra units halted and the two columns on each side turned to open fire at their flanks. A couple rows behind the vine, the units started firing more consistently at the vine itself.

"Damn!" Beachhead cursed, as he and Rock n' Roll got behind a tree for cover.

"Too bad this vine isn't long enough to tie to the tree," said Rock n' Roll.

"I'm not sure how much longer it will hold anyway," said Beachhead. He thought for a moment. "Their reaction is too slow... and too smart... to be just sensors. They didn't go after Freedom or Spirit but now this."

"Well, we can always throw rocks at them," offered Rock n' Roll.

"Do you see any rocks around here?" asked Beachhead incredulously.

Behind the village, Recondo watched the situation unfold. With many of the Cobra units stopped or aiming in other directions, it looked to be one of the best opportunities to get the villagers out of the line of fire. He turned Ripcord and Lifeline. "Looks like opportunity knocks folks. Follow me the first time. Take them down the path we came, 'bout a quarter mile. Alright, let's go. Yo Joe!"

"Yo Joe!" Ripcord and Lifeline yelled as they followed Recondo into the first communal house. Even with the show that Duke and Shipwreck had been putting on, it wasn't all that easy to coax the villagers from their shelter, as flimsy as it might be against the Cobra machines. Recondo was not well-versed in every possible language in the rain forest, that would be impossible. He did however have experience in communicating with indigenous peoples such as these without having the same language though and after a bit of effort was able to convince the people to follow the Joes out of the village.

By the time the group of Joes and villagers had found a good stopping point down the path, Recondo had pretty much gathered that the other people living in the village had fled in the opposite direction or had died. Still, he didn't want to leave anything to chance, and began plotting his return to the battle site. He would certainly be able to make it back much faster than they had come, not having to worry much about stealth or civilians.

Recondo looked around their makeshift refuge. Some of the villagers were looking at him and the other Joes, some with confusion and fear, some with suspicion and anger. Recondo had nothing to offer, only hoping that the few he had 'conversed' with could keep everyone settled and safe. Other villagers were tending to their families, or what was left of them. Wailing children were to be expected, it was the older folks wailing that really hit home – those were tears that came with perspective.

Lifeline had begun tending to the potentially injured. The villagers were wary but Lifeline was being firm, trying to explain to them it was necessary despite knowing they probably wouldn't understand him. He was betting on his non-confrontational gentle manner to win over the villagers. He had dealt with complaining, cursing soldiers before, surely he would be able to deal with the current situation as well.

"Ripcord, Lifeline, I'm going to head back and do a sweep for any others. You guys hold down the fort here," said Recondo. He turned to Lifeline specifically. "Be careful. If anyone seriously rejects you, I don't care if they're full of holes, let them be. We don't know what sort of traditions or religious edicts they might have regarding this kind of stuff."

Lifeline only nodded. The medic would have protested but was pretty certain that none of the villagers were hurt badly enough where life and death would become an issue within the next hour or so. Good timing and a little bit of luck had kept their party bullet-free.

As Recondo was leaving, he felt a hand grab his arm. He turned to find the villager he had done the most communicating with looking concerned. Recondo wasn't too happy about leaving the Joes and the villagers with no one to 'translate' either, but he had to have faith in Ripcord and Lifeline to handle the situation. His two comrades were among the more gentle and easy going, perhaps why Duke had picked them to work directly with the villagers. Recondo reassured the man as much as possible before taking off back into the jungle.

Things were pretty much as he left them when Recondo got back to the village. The Cobra units had broken through the makeshift clothesline but were still keeping Beachhead's group pinned with flanking fire. Shipwreck and Duke were still making a lot of noise, Shipwreck doing a better job than Duke. The sailor had taken a position on top of one of the village structures, defiantly firing upon the Cobra machines. Recondo was a little worried about how well the hut would support Shipwreck but figured the man would notice if things got too shaky.

A sweep of the rest of the communal houses yielded no more civilians. Recondo called over to Duke. "All clear!"

Duke signaled back appreciatively. Surveying the situation, Duke decided it was best the Joes fall back. They had come into the situation largely unprepared, thinking they would only be dealing with a small number of Cobra troops, instead of the whacked out machines that were firing in all directions. The Joes occasionally used automated mobile artillery but not often as the machines could not distinguish between targets well. Cobra was fine with mowing down civilians, the Joes were not. It was a shame the Joes wouldn't be able to save the village, but they had saved some of the villagers, and that was the most important part.

"Everyone fall back!" Duke called out towards the Cobra units, not wanting to directly give away the locations of the members of Beachhead's group.

Shipwreck continued to fire upon the enemy units. He had been trying to hit them where their guns connected to their body. It was difficult as the guns themselves were usually blocking that weak point. He had been successful more than a few times though and was getting better at it. He saw no reason to leave before the rest of the team had 'caught up' to where he was. One never knew if the next bullet might be the magic one. "Take this! And this, ya stupid floor mops!"

"Come on Shipwreck! Time to move!" Duke yelled in Shipwreck's direction as he ran towards the sailor on his way out of the village and thusly out of the direct spray of the Cobra machines.

"Retreat! Retreat!" squawked Polly. "Head for the hills!"

As if in response to the Joe retreat, the Cobra units increased their fire. Duke and Shipwreck's attempts to take cover were too late. For a whisper of a moment, Duke felt nothing but knew in his mind that he'd been hit. The pain in his left shoulder came later. Duke recognized the sensation as the burn of a laser weapon.

Shipwreck had been hit in the right ankle and had toppled off the roof he had been standing upon with a thud. The landing hurt alright and would certainly bruise but was mostly eclipsed by the laser burn. Shipwreck crawled his way out of the village with his arms and good foot, Duke not far behind him.

"Aw Hell," Beachhead noticed his downed teammates. He and Rock n' Roll ran over to their aid, reaching them as they cleared the battlefield. Beachhead supported Shipwreck's injured side while Duke waved away Rock n' Roll's offer. The four started making their way back down the Joe's path, as they had seen Recondo do before. Beachhead figured that at their pace, Spirit would catch up to him in no time, and if not, he'd send Rock n' Roll back after him. "Come on, let's go."

Further down the path, Recondo was relieved to see that his absence had passed without incident. He trusted his fellow Joes but there were a lot of unknowns in the equation. Lifeline was still fumbling through communication with the villagers, looking for something to treat. Ripcord was dutifully acting as a lookout and guard, almost as if to avoid the awkwardness of dealing with the civilians.

Fifteen minutes later, Duke's group found the makeshift camp that Recondo and the others had made. Lifeline had recently finished his triage of the villagers and was quick to rush to the newly arrived Joes, noticing they were injured. Recondo and Ripcord followed as the team regrouped, having an informal powwow over Duke as Lifeline began examining his burn.

"Don't tell me I have to go home already," Duke said, sounding more annoyed than in pain. He was sitting up against a tree with Lifeline kneeling over him.

"Doc warned me about this," Lifeline smiled smugly. "Sorry, but you know it's for the best. On the bright side, if you baby the burn area and eat right, you should be able to stave off most of the scarring and discoloration. I'm sure the staff at the infirmary back home and fill you in on all the fun details. Those machines must have been running low on power."

Duke looked less than thrilled.

"They must have been conserving until we bolted," said Rock n' Roll as Lifeline began bandaging Duke's injury appropriately. "Then they went for the grand finale."

"Well, that's one weakness," Ripcord made a face.

"I think we found a few more," said Beachhead. "Next time they attack, we'll be prepared and waiting."

"How do you know where they're going to attack next?" asked Ripcord.

"I don't," Beachhead looked like he was grinning under his balaclava. "But I'm sure Spirit here can find out."

Beachhead turned to Spirit and continued. "Spirit, go back to the village and see if you can find your way back to the Cobra camp. Find out which way they're moving. We'll be here for a while until Recondo can find out where we should take the natives. If we're gone before you can return, go back to Ace and Quick Kick and we'll get in contact there."

"I'm not even gone yet and already you've assumed command. Can't wait to take the reins?" Duke laughed.

"Just being efficient," Beachhead's tone indicated no-nonsense. "We can't waste our time."

Lifeline moved onto Shipwreck's injury. The sailor had also been quite fortunate but Lifeline suggested more testing once he got back to the Pit, especially given the hard fall that Shipwreck had taken during the battle.

"Need someone to help you back to the planes?" asked Ripcord as Lifeline finished up with the sailor.

"Nah, I just need to find a good walking stick," said Shipwreck. "There's gotta be a good tree branch or something around here."

"Cane or no, I'm not sending two injured guys back without an escort," Beachhead cut into the conversation. "Plus, we could use some re-stocking of our supplies and therefore someone to haul them back to us... and since Ripcord has so nicely volunteered."

Ripcord managed to find an imperfect but suitable stick for Shipwreck. After a bit more advice from Lifeline the party made there way into the jungle, back towards Ace and Quick Kick.

#-#-#-#-#

"Well, the Joes wouldn't have left without all the natives," said Major Bludd as he removed the hand telescope from his eye. It was a finely polished brass instrument. He had stolen it from the home of a wealthy aristocrat whose enemies had been smart in their choice of hit men. "Looks like we won't be getting any information from them."

"Bah," spat Colonel Mustard, still staring out of the tree hut, his binoculars in front of his face. "The natives were just icing on the cake. However, I think injuring two Joes is far sweeter."

"Injuring, but not killing," Major Bludd couldn't help but point out. "You'll find the Joes are damnably resilient."

"Well, I consider the first run a success," said Colonel Mustard, putting an emphasis on the 'I.' "Furthermore, this gives us time to retrieve our machines, cover our tracks and move on. It would have been a shame had I needed to self-destruct this first batch. I only have so many more with me."

As Mustard relayed his retrieval order to the Cobra troops, Major Bludd reflected on the days battle. He would never admit it out loud, but it had been impressive how Mustard was able to control an entire company of robots all at once. They were simple machines. All Mustard had to do was radio over path directions, turret rotations, and firing intervals for individual or sets of the units. Bludd could almost appreciate the simplicity and elegance of the approach over the autonomous train wrecks currently being developed in the Cobra labs. Mustard had certainly developed the strategy around his greatest skill though. Major Bludd was uncertain how many others could keep track of so many things at once and then execute commands for them all with such speed. Watching him tap in the commands had been eye raising indeed.

If only the man wasn't so obnoxious. Furthermore, Mustard was underestimating the adaptability of the Joes – a common mistake andusually a mission-ending one. Major Bludd decided to arrange for some FANGs to be nearby during the next battle so that he, and whoever else was smart, would be able to make a quick exit if need be.

#-#-#-#-#

Ace stretched out his arms. Guarding the aircraft and waiting weren't the most entertaining of activities. Quick Kick was good company but it wasn't like the two of them could just start a game of cards. Ace couldn't count how many Cobra guards he had gotten the jump on because they were doing just that. As much as he preferred seeing the action, or if not, being in the skies, Ace wasn't one to complain out loud, much. Ace smiled to himself imagining what Rock n' Roll or Shipwreck might be grumbling about to the rest of the group.

Shipwreck was a particularly interesting guy. It was hard to see how a washed up Navy guy playing mercenary in the desert would end up on the team. Flint must have noticed something about the man that made him worth keeping. It must have been pretty good too considering how the sailor's first order of business with the Joe team appeared to be hitting on Lady Jaye. Ace mused that Shipwreck must have taken the fall for some operation gone politically sour. Shipwreck was never one to talk about the negative aspects of his life though.

Of course, Shipwreck wasn't the only Joe who hadn't exactly followed the standard procedure for joining the team. Quick Kick had been picked up when Cobra disrupted a commercial he was filming. The former stunt man was an obviously talented specialist though.

"Hollywood must seem pretty nice compared to this right now," Ace remarked. He and Quick Kick were nestled between the SkyStriker and the Tomahawk, both which had a light camouflaged tarp covered with some brush. It wouldn't fool anyone up close but it would make it easier to make a quick getaway should the need arise. The view outside the clearing was partially obscured to the two Joes but it wouldn't be a problem if they remained alert.

Alert was not a problem for Ace. To fly at the speeds he did, one had to be highly observant with a constant awareness of their surroundings and understanding of how they were likely to be changing rapidly. These same skills helped make Ace seem like the luckiest man alive at the poker table and the go-to guy for around the base gossip.

Quick Kick was not long with his witty response. "Compared to four hours of make up, this is a picnic."

"Miss it much?" Ace continued. "Acting and stunt work, I mean."

"Yeah, but to tell you the truth I wasn't really going anywhere," Quick Kick leaned back, looking into the sky, still with a familiar smile. "I mean, the best an Asian guy like me can really aspire to in Hollywood is kung fu fighting sidekick... I hadn't even made it up to side character. Finding work can be a real downer."

"Ever think about going over to make Chinese action movies?"

"Briefly. I don't know the language though and while Bruce is the man, my heart was always with the US industry, from the magic of the classics to the new stuff getting all the hype."

"Did it lose it's magic when you got to see the tricks of the trade?"

"Some, but not all. A really good movie will suck you in no matter what. Plus, it made me appreciate movies on another level. It didn't take away what I got out of movies, only enhanced it."

"Did you meet a lot of pretty starlets?" Ace smiled, raising his eyebrow at Quick Kick.

"Well – "

"Hold on," Ace interrupted, using a hushed voice and extending his arm in front of Quick Kick instinctively as a stopping gesture, though the two were not moving. "Something's coming our way."

The two Joes ducked down. Even though they were well shielded, it never hurt to minimize one's silhouette. They slowly scanned the area, looking for the source. Ace was pretty sure what direction it was coming from, but the ears and the echoes could play tricks on anyone.

The heightened sense of alert was abated by not only the agreed upon pass-call, designed to almost blend in with the sounds of real animals in the rain forest, but the familiar squawks and whistles of Polly as well. Ace and Quick Kick still kept themselves prepared, in case their was something funny going on. There hadn't been a need this time. Soon afterwards, Duke, Ripcord and Shipwreck made their way around the trees and into their small clearing.

"Back so soon?" Quick Kick called over to them, his ever-present smile beaming their way.

"'Fraid so," Duke said sheepishly. "I wish we came with better tidings."

"What happened?" asked Ace.

"Cobra had some natives pinned in their huts. I don't why," said Duke, not entirely masking his anger over the situation. "The kicker was, they didn't have their usual goons, they just had a whole bunch of machines firing willy nilly. Cobra's really reached a new level of low with this one. We managed to save whoever was left at least."

"Duke and I got a little roughed up," said Shipwreck, he tapped his cane against the ground next to his injured ankle to emphasize why he was using it. "No big deal but Lifeline wants to send us home. New guys are always extra cautious."

"I'm just here to pick up some supplies," said Ripcord, dropping the 'escort' part of his journey. "Cobra may have gotten the jump on us this time, but next time they won't have that advantage."

"Think you two can fit into the back of a SkyStriker without stressing your injuries?" Ace looked at Duke and Shipwreck. "It should be a faster trip and then I can be back here before you know it."

"I think we can manage," said Duke. He turned to Ripcord. "It would be best to wait here with Quick Kick until Ace returns. I don't like leaving anyone alone, especially the guy guarding our supplies and our link back home."

The five men preceded to uncover the SkyStriker, minding Shipwreck's ankle. It was almost as if the sailor was more interested in helping out with the menial tasks when he was injured than when he was at full strength. Ace wondered if Shipwreck found the chore more of a challenge and less boring when he had to worry about his ankle.

Ace went over his plans to taxi and take off with Quick Kick while Ripcord assisted Duke and Shipwreck into the back seat of the SkyStriker.

"You know, I much preferred doing this with Lady Jaye," Shipwreck said to the already seated Duke as he climbed into the jet.

"Squawk! Three's a crowd!" added Polly.

"Just keep the backseat flying to a minimum this time birdbrain," said Shipwreck as Ace approached the SkyStriker. "Ace here doesn't need your help."


	7. A Real American Hero Pt 1

All of the equipment had been hauled in and set up by the time Dr. Mindbender arrived at Professor Plum's base of operations. Conveniently, Plum had asked Mindbender not to interfere with his work. Mindbender wasn't sure if this was because Plum wanted to keep his research secret, because he had something to prove or because of some other issue. He really didn't care either. Mindbender had kept himself busy in his lab, partially assuring himself that his plans for the Joes would go well and partially working on his newer projects. Even if Operation Constrictor went as planned, Cobra would find a way to make use of his work and thus his work would continue to be funded. It was nice having as much lab space and budget as needed. Still, Mindbender knew Cobra Commander would not be pleased to find out he wasn't even there for Plum when his own mini-operation took off and so there he was.

Plum had been good about getting all of his plans together on his own. Mindbender would give him that. The building he had found seemed suitable enough. It was a local radio station, recently gone under and looking for a new owner. It had plenty enough rooms to keep everything organized as well as its own parking garage for troop deployment. It was close to the National Helium Reserve, where Plum planned to steal as much helium as possible. The target wasn't really that important, it was more about the method, which Plum had been tight-lipped about ever since his proposal was selected. Mindbender noted on his way in that almost all of the serious equipment was with Plum, not including of course the Stingers and other vehicles or artillery. Plum didn't appear to be having the Cobra troops help with anything.

It was standard fare for Cobra to lease a building with fake people and their fake credit scores. Mostly Cobra was able to find places where the owner was so eager to rent, they wouldn't bother looking too closely, but even if they did, Cobra was well prepared. One might say that people were naturally trusting, but Mindbender didn't buy it. He believed that people were naturally lazy and would tell themselves that nothing bad would likely happen to them just so they wouldn't have to deal with the mess of pushing the issue. They might feel sorry for themselves after the fact when left with a real mess. Cobra tried to leave things clean with no authorities coming by after the fact but it sadly wasn't always the case.

Mindbender briefly went over what little he knew about Professor Plum in his head as he approached Plum's command center. Plum had been a Cobra agent for years. He had joined up after facing rejection in academia and legitimate industry. Reports painted the picture of a man who couldn't let things go and would work an idea well past dry. Some suggested he believed himself to be always right. Others suggested he was just lacking in the creativity to find another path. Cobra had enticed him into a research assistant position by explaining to him that he would be able to do his research in his spare time. Apparently that's what he had been doing.

"Things seem to be running smoothly," Dr. Mindbender said as he entered Professor Plum's command center. It was more of a lab really. Mindbender wasn't sure how to act in the situation. Whenever he was in a position of power over other Cobra agents, he usually just treated them like the underlings they were. In this situation he was supposed to be a mentor and thus he decided to start off on a chummy foot. Mindbender understood he was a little too new to the Cobra inner circle to be yelling at just anybody... yet.

"Doctor Mindbender," Professor Plum quickly shut his notebook and forced a smile. He was not very good at hiding his annoyance. "I thought I told you not to bother with me. I'm sure you have more important things to do."

"I do hate to interrupt your work. I know we geniuses have our own way of doing things," Mindbender managed to reply. All he needed was this one mission to cement his position within Cobra. He wasn't going to have some nobody plucked from deep within the Cobra research center ruin it for him. "Sadly though, someone has to review your work. We gave you a nice chunk of resources for this mission. Isn't it time you showed me what you've been doing? Your proposal made it sound like you would have an army of clones and yet you've requisitioned more troops than any of your fellow agents."

It was a bit of a jab. Mindbender knew it was unlikely that Plum had actually succeeded to clone anything, especially a fully grown human. Far more brilliant people had tried. He continued to look Plum over while waiting for a response. The man looked like he hadn't been sleeping much. At least his uniform, the standard Cobra blues with a purple Cobra insignia instead of a red one, looked clean and fresh. Plum seemed to keep a tight lab, he wouldn't dare come into it dirty.

"Oh? I didn't realize it came off that way," Plum replied, feigning surprise. The man was not a good actor. "After all, haven't you already spoken out against that idea? I believe your argument was something like 'Clone soldiers take up as much space and care as real ones, mechanical soldiers are so much more convenient, we can just pack them in a closet, never worry about them and take them out when we want to use them.'"

Dr. Mindbender had indeed made that argument. He had assumed that Cobra Commander read it too. It wouldn't surprise him though if the Commander's memory was short when it came to grandiose ideas like these. He wasn't going to get into a discussion about it with Professor Plum though. Instead, he spoke deliberately. "So what is it that you have been working on, Professor Plum?"

"Cloning," Plum smiled obnoxiously. He paused. "But as more than just mere cannon fodder. I've been cloning someone to shake up the American forces and lead our troops to victory."

Mindbender was unable to hide all of his shock. Had this nobody really succeeded where so many others had failed? He recomposed himself. "Well, are you going to show me?"

"I guess I have no choice. I might as well give you the nickel tour. I was planning to clone another anyway."

Another? thought Dr. Mindbender. Professor Plum had already been successful? This wasn't just some pipe dream of his?

"I tried growing an entire human body, but that just couldn't be done in the mere couple of weeks I was allotted," Professor Plum continued in an annoyed and condescending tone. "I ran into too many snags. It's very complicated. However, I feel I have gotten the heart of the issue by being able to clone the mind – and not just the genetic materials. With this machine in the corner, I can add what memories and understanding I've been able to reconstruct from the historical data. Selectively, of course... and with a few additions."

Dr. Mindbender had only more questions. Professor Plum was keeping him in the dark, guarding his upper hand in the situation. "So what of the body then?"

"I had to make due with this," Plum pointed to large glass tube next to the previous machine. Mindbender hadn't noticed it at first, but upon inspection recognized it as one of Zartan's synthoid creating devices. Mindbender did not have first hand experience with the machine, but knew it well enough. It was amazing that something of its sophistication had come from Zartan. The mercenary didn't seem like the inventor type. Mindbender was a bit annoyed, the big 'clone' revelation turned out to be just a synthoid.

"That's not cloning. That's creating a synthoid."

"Wrong. I used the synthoid technology for the base of the body, but that's it. I've taken the synthoid creator and changed it for the better. Unlike synthoids, my clones use the genetic material of the original. Unlike synthoids, my clones have the personality of the original instead of trying to fake it. True, my clones may not have bones and internal organs, but they are much closer to a real person than a mere synthoids."

"Very well then, let's see," Mindbender bit his tongue. As much as his first impulse was to argue until he won over this matter, there were more important things to attend to. It was best to let Plum's mission run it's course to failure so that Mindbender could get back to his original operation. It wouldn't be long now.

Plum began working with the machine. His body language clearly said 'back off.' He obviously didn't want Dr. Mindbender to see exactly what he was doing. Mindbender idly observed the rest of the room while Plum worked. There were still quite a few other machines. Some were communication devices and computers for maintaining contact with the rest of the Cobra network. The rest, Mindbender wasn't so sure of. Before he could further examine them, Plum interrupted.

"Now watch."

The synthoid chamber filled with smoke. The smoke seemed to be a slightly different set of colors than the ones Mindbender remembered from his own inquiry into the machine. Apparently Plum had succeeded in changing one thing. Soon a figure appeared, already clad in a uniform similar to Professor Plum's.

When the smoke dissipated, the glass retracted. The clone stepped out and spoke. "I want to go where the guns are."

#-#-#-#-#

Lady Jaye searched the transport for her fellow Joes. As they approached their destination, Stalker called for a team meeting to go over the new intelligence they had received regarding Cobra's recent interest in the National Helium Reserve. It was technically Flint's mission but he had opted to lead the SkyStrikers while Stalker would be taking care of things on land. The rest of the Joes would be with Stalker, ready to handle any civilian issues that might crop up on the ground. The plan was mostly laid out already, but adjustments were to be made based on the new intel.

The transport was well packed but not overly so. It wasn't the only one. Both held greenshirts and VAMPs, but this one also held the bulk of the Joes sent on the mission. Lady Jaye tried not to worry too much about Flint. Some of the greenshirts he had piloting the other SkyStrikers were better than some of the Joes she had seen take the controls on occasion. Still, she rather she was piloting one too.

Ironically, the easiest Joe to find was Snake Eyes. He had recently received a portable cassette player as a gift and was making good use of it. There was something funny about watching a mute man dance to unheard music. Lady Jaye was almost embarrassed for Snake Eyes. The man had grace and balance, but something about the way he danced just looked incredibly dorky. Shipwreck had once said that Snake Eyes saved them from some Cobra goons with stellar breakdancing moves. Of course, Shipwreck said a lot of things. Timber was not far away, curled up sleeping. Lady Jaye wondered if the odd nap was a cry of "please don't let me be seen with him right now."

Lady Jaye tapped Snake Eyes on the shoulder. "Stalker's calling a meeting."

Snake Eyes nodded and started making his way towards the front of the transport.

Roadblock was easy to find as well. It helped that he stood a good deal taller than most. He was surrounded by fellow greenshirts, apparently trying to demonstrate something to them. Roadblock had quite a following. He was easy to approach, jovial, and incredibly talented. It helped that almost everyone was forced to literally look up to him.

Not wanting to fight the crowd, Lady Jaye signaled over to Roadblock, mouthing the words "Stalker"and "meeting" while pointing up towards the front of the transport. It didn't take her long to catch Roadblock's eye. A true professional, he was always alert. He gave her the thumbs up and began to wrap things up with the greenshirts.

The next Joe that Lady Jaye found was Gung Ho. He had one of the crates open and was looking through all the guns. It was a bit of a ritual. Gung Ho was like a school child finding out what his mom packed for lunch. His mom in this case was usually Scarlett. She seemed to like putting together the mission equipment list. Lady Jaye mused that it was Scarlett's outlet for window shopping. Now that Scarlett was grounded to base, she was trying to fit in this duty for every mission she could, as if to live vicariously through the weapons she sent along.

"Anything catch your eye?" Lady Jaye said slyly as she peeked around Gung Ho to get a look at the crate.

"They're all tempting," Gung Ho grinned. "But Scarlett wouldn't forget to pack Baby, so I'm all set."

"In that case, better put everything back as you left it. Stalker's calling a briefing for us up front."

"Will do."

Doc was the hardest to find, despite the fact that he wore a bright yellow uniform with equally bright red crosses on white,. He was tucked away, sitting down in between some crates, likely trying to shield himself from some of the ambient noise. He was busy poring over what appeared to be medical journals.

Lady Jaye wasn't sure how much of what Stalker had to report would be of use to Doc. She marveled how he was somehow always able to set up shop close to the battle but mostly safe from it and how he organized a team of medics without much of the same teamwork that the rest of the Joes took to organize their missions. Of course, unless he absolutely needed to be working away from the battle, he often found his way into the thick of things with the combat medics. As quick as a MEDEVAC might be, it was always reassuring to have Doc along.

"Sorry to interrupt," Lady Jaye leaned against one of the nearby crates, as if she were leaning on the doorway into Doc's office. "But Stalker is going to give a briefing on the latest from our scouts."

"No problem at all," Doc smiled and began getting up. "Lead the way."

Lady Jaye and Doc made their way to the front of the transport where Stalker, Roadblock, Snake Eyes and Gung Ho were already waiting. Navigating the greenshirts wasn't very hard. While most of the flight was down time for them, they kept fairly orderly. They were good men and could bring themselves in formation at attention at a moment's notice.

"Now that we're all around," said Roadblock as Lady Jaye and Doc arrived. "What's the situation on the ground?"

"Not what we were expecting," Stalker frowned. "One of Flint's scouts reported that Cobra is running ahead of schedule. Looks like we'll be landing directly into a battle situation."

"Nothing we haven't done before," said Gung Ho. "Some of these greenies only get called in once the fire fight's begun."

"True, but still not ideal," said Stalker.

"It's odd for Cobra to be so on the ball," Lady Jaye held her chin in her hand and thought out loud. "Usually they're not so well managed."

"We might have misjudged them initially," said Stalker. He laid out some simple maps of the area, mostly blocking out the buildings in the area. "Whatever the reason, we have to deal with this situation now. Roadblock and Gung Ho's groups will try to flank Cobra on either side. I'll becoming down the center. Lady Jaye's group will remain in the rear, keeping closer guard on the Reserve. Snake Eyes, you're with her."

"How's Cobra's air support look?" asked Roadblock. The heavy gunner tended to drop his usual rhymes when being serious.

"No sign of them yet," Stalker looked concerned. "They might be trying to avoid damaging the facility or Cobra may be reserving them for emergency."

"They can't really be thinking of getting a hold of the Reserve," said Gung Ho. "Especially with the number of troops they brought."

"Gung Ho is right, Cobra has discovered time and time again that capturing US territory is tough... holding it is impossible," added Doc.

"Not that Cobra ever learns," said Roadblock.

"I was just getting to that," Stalker continued. "Looks like they don't intend to hold the place, just steal as much helium as they can. There have been some tanker sightings. There are probably more covered or camouflaged. If we can find them, we can end this real quick. Hopefully Flint's group will be successful in that department, but keep your eyes peeled."

"Not like they can sneak a tanker past us," said Gung Ho.

"They're probably going to try to wear us down before they bring those out," said Roadblock.

"Sorry to interrupt," the transport pilot called from the cockpit. "But we're getting ready to touch down."

"Alright, thanks," Stalker replied. He turned to the the Joes. "You heard the man. If there aren't any questions, let's get ready. Yo Joe."

The rest replied in unison. "Yo Joe!"

Time seemed to move very swiftly. Lady Jaye lamented that despite everything going very smoothly and the greenshirts being very calm and experienced, it still felt more like an excited swarm of bees bouncing around the transport rather than some sort of well-oiled machine. It was probably just the effect of the close quarters.

It wasn't until they had fully touched down that Lady Jaye realized that Timber had been barking in the background. It was odd for him to be perturbed by the scrambling or the landing. He was normally very quiet. Once the hatches opened, the wolf bounded outdoors and away from the battlefield. Lady Jaye turned to Snake Eyes and gave him a questioning look.

Snake Eyes shrugged in response. He was just as confused as Lady Jaye. He half wanted to go after Timber, trusting in the wolf's instincts, but there was a battle to be fought. Timber would be okay on his own.

#-#-#-#-#

"It didn't take the Joes long to find us," Dr. Mindbender broke the silence. He wished he could have brought his real work with him. It was exceedingly boring waiting with Professor Plum, especially considering how secretive the man was. Of course, Mindbender wouldn't think of going outside into the battle itself, so waiting with Plum was really the only option.

"But that was to be expected, wasn't it Dr. Mindbender?" Plum's tone grated on Dr. Minbender. It was as if the man thought he deserved an award for figuring that one out. It was true that secrecy hadn't been an especially high priority for the mission, but at the same time there wasn't a deliberate leak. That would have tipped the Joes off immediately. Instead, as with any large scale Cobra mission, things had a way of getting out. Cobra's smaller and more surgical attempts tended to go unnoticed longer. Though, there were other proposals from the set of four Operation Constrictor distractions that the Joes were still trying to refine their intel on. Professor Plum continued. "It doesn't matter. My clones are efficient men. They're ready for them and they've readied the troops for them."

"I would very much like to believe that," Mindbender replied. "However, I don't see any Rattlers and I see quite a few SkyStrikers." Dr. Mindbender pointed towards the top of the Plum's large viewing monitor. They GI Joe jets were likely waiting until the Cobra troops had advanced further from the radio station to open fire. GI Joe wouldn't use any heavy ordinance or destroy existing structures within the United States unless absolutely necessary.

"Rattlers are expensive and air battles are messy. I have something better," Plum stated. He tilted his head down towards a microphone and pressed the nearby button. "Ready the ultrasonic weapon."

With a few more button clicks, one of the side monitors switched to a view of a tented area close to the radio station proper. Cobra troops were removing a tarp from a large weapon. Dr. Mindbender recognized it immediately. It hadn't been very long since Destro had sold Cobra Commander on it. Unfortunately, the Joes had found their way around it. It was yet another piece of technology that Plum had lifted from the Cobra graveyard. First the synthoid creator and now the ultrasonic device. He appeared to be making a habit of it. "That old thing?"

"I've made some modifications," Plum said smugly. "It now has a wider range. It wasn't too hard really. Plus, do you really think G I Joe expects or is ready to see this thing again?"

Dr. Mindbender had actually been thinking the same thing. Cobra rarely reused super weapons like these. It was poor business on Destro's part as once they failed, Cobra Commander would never consider the idea again. He gave up too easily. The Cobra leader wasn't so stupid that he couldn't tell the same idea beneath different marketing either. Plum must have known that a couple rungs down the ladder from Cobra Commander, he would be able to reuse and improve upon technology where the inner circle of Cobra couldn't. Plum's salvaging made up for the genius he lacked. Dr. Mindbender managed a terse reply. "We shall see."

#-#-#-#-#

As Dr. Mindbender had predicted, the Joe SkyStrikers had held off until the land battle was just beginning to get underway. Flint was leading the team of greenshirt pilots both from a physical and a chain of command point of view. Surveying the field, Flint wondered just what Cobra was up to and what their gimmick might be this time. It was odd for them to stage such a noticeable operation when they didn't have to. Usually they would place a few people on the inside if they wanted to steal something. Only higher security targets, like the laser core that powered the weather dominator and the great seal of Alaska, required a well-timed coordinated assault. Still, if anything, Cobra Commander liked to show off his latest toy. Flint had no question that everyone on his team was remaining on alert, but Cobra always seemed to create new surprises.

This time, the new surprise was also an old one.

It was for only a moment that Flint wondered why his SkyStriker had become so shaky, but it seemed like too long a time wasted. He soon spotted Cobra's ultrasonic device, wheeled out from the radio station by a quintet of Cobra agents. Flint ordered the rest of his squadron to fall back but judging from the reports firing over the communications channel, everyone was in the same predicament. Did the ultrasonic weapon have such a range the last time Cobra used it? Flint didn't have time to further ponder the question. He was already parachuting down into the battle and Cobra most certainly wouldn't be waiting for him to land to open fire. Fortunately their aim was as bad as ever.

Flint internally cursed that there hadn't been time or budget to better shield the SkyStrikers from this sort of attack. He had just gone over progress on the Conquest order with Hawk in Washington. The new jets wouldn't have a problem. Upgrading the SkyStrikers had been put on the back burner. It was just so odd for Cobra to pull the same trick twice. Flint wondered if there were still more tricks up Cobra's sleeve for this battle.

Touching down, Flint quickly surveyed the area for the rest of his team. He didn't spot any fatalities yet which was a relief. He didn't have time for an exact headcount either though. At least, surrounded by Cobra, they were less likely to face laser fire. Cobras weren't stupid enough to fire into what was still mostly their own army.

Flint's group had all fallen into Cobra's lines, not too far apart but not close enough either to coordinate just yet. There were too many Cobras and they remained too far from the radio station to attempt to storm it. Flint made his priority getting the boys back to the safety of their own lines.

#-#-#-#-#

Lady Jaye watched the devastation done to the GI Joe SkyStrikers in a haze. She knew she was calling out orders, something about watching for falling parts, though most should fall on Cobra's side, but it felt like some weird dream that was going both in very fast and in slow motion at the same time. When it was clear where Flint and the others were going to touch down, she instinctively shifted her body forward, as if to rush to the scene. She might have actually started to run if not for the weight of a hand on her shoulder bringing her back to a sharper view of reality.

It was Snake Eyes. By the time Lady Jaye figured that out, the commando had already pushed off her shoulder, and was out in front of her running. The action was part reassuring and part a message: "Stay put. I'll go." It made sense. It wasn't like Snake Eyes could call out orders. He was probably better at this kind of thing too. He couldn't resist running off to save a comrade who had gotten in trouble before him, orders be damned. Lady Jaye knew the team was counting on her to be there doing her job and taking a more strategic approach to the entire battle.

Snakes Eyes caught up with Stalker's VAMP towards the front of the GI Joe battle line, jumping onto the side of the vehicle and holding onto the bars of the roll cage. Stalker turned and gave Snake Eyes an understanding nod before yelling something inaudible from Lady Jaye's position and then speeding off into the Cobra lines, Snake Eyes still hanging off the side of the VAMP.

The rest of Stalker's team seemed to be holding well. They were outnumbered but losing little ground. Lady Jaye turned her attentions to the respective flanks. Roadblock's group was holding their position firmly. It appeared that Gung Ho's group was getting hit the hardest. It wouldn't be long before the two sides would be clashing up close and personal. There was enough pressure on Stalker's group that they could offer little support. Lady Jaye swiftly decided just how much of her re-guard she was going to reposition in light of the situation and relayed her changes to the rest of her troops. All those idle chats about tactics with Flint seemed to be rubbing off.

Lady Jaye found herself pacing restlessly, back and forth in a rather small area. It was hard for her not to be doing anything physically while the battle took place, especially after what had happened to Flint's team. Things were going far from easily. She brought the pair of binoculars hanging around her neck up to her eyes and surveyed the field again. This time something strange caught her eye. One of the Cobra troops who appeared to be giving orders was wearing a purple Cobra insignia instead of the usual red one. Quickly, Lady Jaye's binocular-aided eyes darted around the field looking for more anomalies. She spied at least two other leader-types with the unusual uniforms. It was probably just a minor restructuring in the organization of the Cobra ground troops. Lady Jaye had to admit it was working well for them though. She put that thought to the side, for the debriefing back at headquarters after the battle.

#-#-#-#-#

Stalker deftly maneuvered the VAMP through the volley of laser fire coming from all sides. He had told the rest of his team just to carry on without regard to him, he had a feeling they were being careful of the jeep he was driving. Pridefully, he grinned to himself thinking that the greenshirts probably didn't need to do that much to maneuver around him. They had been trained well and he had faith in their marksmanship, even in this kind of battle.

Things got stickier once the VAMP reached the Cobra lines. Stalker certainly couldn't mow the troops down with his vehicle, especially not if he intended to get to Flint and the others. There was also a possibility of having a showdown with one or more Stingers. Fortunately, even being more organized and more enthusiastic than normal, the Cobra troops weren't willing to try to stand down Stalker's vehicle. It helped that Snake Eyes had slid his way from the side of the VAMP to man the rear-mounted guns. It was still a very bumpy ride.

By the time Stalker and Snake Eyes reached the SkyStriker team, Flint had managed to gather the pilots together. Flint and his team formed a circle facing outward, protecting their backs and enabling the ones who still had weapons to provide cover fire. The group was slowly trying to move in formation back to the the relative safety of GI Joe lines. They hadn't been making much progress and Flint knew it was only a matter of time before they would be whittled down by the greater number of Cobra troops, especially seeing that a Stinger was headed their direction.

"It's not exactly the calvary, but it's the best we can spare at the moment," Stalker called over sheepishly. Both he and Flint knew that the VAMP wasn't going to be enough for everyone. However, Stalker wouldn't risk the lives of his greenshirts pulling the stunt he did. "Let's pack everyone in the best we can. Think this thing will still move fast enough?"

"I hope so," said Flint.

Flint and Snake Eyes took up two laser rifles and provided cover fire as Stalker organized everyone into the VAMP. One of the greenshirts had taken the rear-mounted machine guns for additional support. Without Flint, Stalker and Snake Eyes on the VAMP, the vehicle already looked quite loaded with a couple people hanging off the sides, gripping onto the roll cage and a few in back. Flint and Stalker gave each other a knowing look.

"Godspeed you guys," Stalker said. He leaned over to the driver. "Drive like hell."

"What about you?" asked one of the greenshirts with a horrified expression.

"Don't worry about us," replied Stalker. "We don't have time for this, now go."

"But..."

Stalker was about to argue, but Snake Eyes tapped him on the shoulder, getting the greenshirt and Flint's attention as well. He pointed at the oncoming Stinger. Stalker swore he could see a sly glint in the man's visor.

"I think Snake Eyes just found our ride back," smiled Stalker. He slapped the driver on the back. "Now go, and don't forget that's an order. Yo Joe!"

"Yo Joe!" yelled the greenshirts, taking off with expressions of both worry and awe.

"You really think we can take that thing?" Stalker asked more seriously now that the greenshirts were on their way.

Snake Eyes shrugged.

"At the very least, we can keep it from following our VAMP," said Flint who was still providing cover fire to their small group.

Snake Eyes handed his laser rifle over to Stalker and prepared for the the oncoming Stinger. The Stinger would either ignore them or run over them, its true target was the VAMP. Still, it was already on a path right past (or through) them. Stingers were better armored than VAMPs, at least from a surface covering point of view. It had its advantages and disadvantages. It made it harder for anyone, friend or foe, to get into one at the same speed one could get into a VAMP, especially with the gull-wing doors. Even a HISS might be easier, especially in motion, once one could get on top. Snake Eyes would have to make his way through a window.

With a well-timed leap, Snake Eyes attached himself to whatever hand-holds he could find on the driver's side door of the Stinger. He did little to avoid the notable 'thud' of his weight against the vehicle. As he had hoped, the Stinger driver took action. Snake Eyes wasn't sure he could get into the Stinger in any reasonable amount of time, but if he distracted the driver, at least the men in the VAMP would have things a little easier.

The Stinger driver swerved viciously, trying to shake Snakes Eyes off before he could get through the door. This caused the Cobra troops in the path of the jeep to scatter rather than fight and kept the Cobra soldiers hanging onto the back of the Stinger from being very effective with their laser pistols. The erratic driving offered the distraction Flint and Stalker need to drop their cover fire and jump onto the Cobra jeep. Slinging their laser rifles over their shoulders, Flint went for the passenger side door and Stalker went for the rear of the vehicle.

The Cobra agent in the passenger seat of the Stinger did not have a quick enough reaction time to avoid Flint's fist. Unfortunately, the awkward punch wasn't enough to put the Cobra down for the count. Soon, the agent and Flint were grappling through the window of the Stinger, Flint trying to subdue the soldier as he in turn tried to throw Flint from the vehicle.

Flint's fight only riled up the Stinger driver more, causing him to drive even more spastically. Snake Eyes, getting his bearings for the wild ride, tried to grab for the wheel but the driver managed to fend him off with a combination of elbows and swerves.

On the rear of the Stinger, Stalker and the two Cobra agents were both hanging on with one arm, wedging their feet on the platform, and using the other arm to fight. Stalker spent most of his time evading the soldier's attack, but occasionally landing a punch or swinging the butt of his laser rifle into the enemy. The close quarters didn't afford him much room to dodge but Stalker did his best to block with his free arm or rifle.

Just as Stalker felt he was beginning to make some progress, he felt something heavy slam into him. One of the agents had swung the rotating rocket launcher into him just as the Stinger made a mean swerve, unluckily for Stalker. He was thrown from the vehicle. He managed to diffuse some of the impact by rolling once he hit the ground, but he knew something was hurting fierce from when he got hit with the mounted rockets. Before Stalker was able to gain full control of his momentum, he was already being pounced upon by several nearby Cobra agents.

Flint cursed seeing Stalker being taken prisoner but didn't have much time to reflect on it as he was still locked in battle with the Cobra agent on the passengers side. Snake Eyes was also momentarily distracted but it worked out to his advantage as the driver was not expecting the brief respite in their fight. Snake Eyes was finally able to grab hold of the wheel. The driver still had a better grip though and maintained most of the control, though Snake Eyes was able to steady the driving somewhat.

The Stinger driver fought over the wheel with Snake Eyes as he navigated through the battlefield. By this point, most of the Cobra troops on foot knew to give him a wide berth. Inspiration hit him, without even giving his comrade riding shotgun a warning, he slammed onto the breaks. Flint and Snake Eyes could barely hold on. Before they could compensate for the vehicles sudden stop, they were being swarmed with Cobra soldiers. Knowing when they were beat, they put their arms in the air and were led back to Cobra's makeshift base.

#-#-#-#-#

Gung Ho only vaguely knew what his fellow Joes were up to in other parts of the battlefield. Things on his side were requiring his full concentration. His greenshirts and a large number of Cobra agents were butting up against each other. Most were taking cover behind turned over vehicles and terrain debris, shooting at each other with laser rifles and throwing grenades. In some areas, things had come to fisticuffs between Joe and Cobra. Gung Ho knew they were being pushed back, but was doing his best to halt the Cobra advance and change the tide.

Leading the Cobra troops on Gung Ho's side of the battlefield was a bull-chested man clad in the normal Cobra blues only with a purple Cobra logo instead of the usual red one. He hadn't been doing anything tricky but he appeared to be running a tight assault and having good rapport with the rest of the Cobra soldiers.

When Gung Ho saw the chance to take down the purple leader, he went for it. The Cobra field commander was holed up with a small group of Cobra agents behind a busted Stinger. Gung Ho picked four greenshirts to go after them. While the greenshirts kept their rifles out and ready, Gung Ho put away Baby, knowing he would need to be ready to use his fists as soon as they made their way around the Stinger.

The Joes managed to get the jump on the equal sized team of Cobra troops. Two of the Cobras went down easy. Gung Ho went after the purple leader while the greenshirts handled the two remaining soldiers and tried to block any reinforcements.

Gung Ho was only able to just begin grappling with the man when he was tackled from the side by three more Cobra agents. Instinctively reaching out to try to prevent his fall by clinging to anything he could, Gung Ho snatched the black face mask off of the purple leader. It easily gave way and Gung Ho went down under the weight of the Cobra pile. As he fell, he saw a face he recognized.


	8. A Real American Hero Pt 2

Gung Ho navigated his way back to Lady Jaye's position as soon as he could. By the time he had rid himself of the Cobra soldiers that had tackled him, their leader had secured his position elsewhere. Not seeing Flint or Stalker, he decided it was best to report his findings to the closest thing they had to a home base. After asking around, Gung Ho learned that Lady Jaye was speaking with some of Flint's teammates who were being treated over where Doc had setup camp.

"We thought they'd be right behind us," a young greenshirt said as Doc bandaged his leg. Gung Ho wasn't sure what happened to the kid. It was bloody, but the soldier didn't seem very concerned about that, more about what he was telling Lady Jaye. "They seemed so sure they were going to steal that Stinger. They should have been back by now."

Lady Jaye tilted her head down in thought, frowning. Apparently out of things to ask, she spoke. "Thanks for letting me know. We'll take care of it. Just focus on getting healthy for now."

"Yes sir... uh ma'am."

"That's going to look rather nasty for a while and it will probably scar," Doc said as he finished up. "Be sure to visit the infirmary when we get back. You'll be making regular visits at first to change those dressings. Need any help out of here?"

"N-no sir, you guys look plenty busy here. I'll be fine."

"Just be careful with that wound."

"I will."

Doc watched the greenshirt leave, making sure he wasn't just trying to sound tough by saying he didn't need any help. After determining things were fine, he turned and spoke. "Gung Ho, what can I do for you?"

"Oh Gung Ho, when did you get here?" Lady Jaye turned and finally noticed the marine's presence.

"Not so long ago. What's going on?"

"Stalker and Snake Eyes went off to retrieve Flint's team, but while the team is back, the three of them aren't," Lady Jaye said simply. She was putting on a tough face. Gung Ho knew it was left unsaid that they might have fallen. They needed to push on without them and just hope they were only captured. "Not only that, I can't contact headquarters. We're being jammed."

The gravity of Lady Jaye's news made Gung Ho pause. Things really weren't going their way this battle. "Well, I think I know why we're being pushed back on the field."

"Why's that?"

"That guy with the purple Cobra on his shirt, the one leading the troops over where my team is fighting. I got in a tussle with him, ripped off his mask. This is going to sound crazy, but I swear, it's Chesty Puller."

"What? Gung Ho, Chesty Puller has been dead for over a decade now."

"Don't think I don't know that. Plus, there's no way he'd fight for Cobra... but we've seen some crazy stuff. Maybe Cobra brought back his ghost. They've done that before. He looks just like him in his prime. He acts just like all he does in all the stories. They must have done something. Man, I can't believe those dirty snakes!" Gung Ho was getting more upset.

"A synthoid maybe?" Lady Jaye replied after a pause. She still seemed confused by Gung Ho's ranting.

"Synthoids can't really think for themselves. They act as they're told. This guy is leading an army!"

"There's more than one," Lady Jaye spit out as she regained her composure. "I've seen at least three of them all over the field."

"Three!"

"They might not all be the same guy. They're probably not," Lady Jaye said quickly. She seemed distracted, as if she was still focusing on the other problems the team faced. She wasn't being as careful with her speech and her words came out sounding dismissive to Gung Ho. "The one you met, maybe he just looks very similar."

"I know it's him!" Gung Ho raised his voice exasperatedly. He couldn't understand why Lady Jaye wasn't as upset about it as he was. "It all makes sense! That's why we're doing so poorly! That man is a hero, a legend, a great man! He's everything we should be!"

"This is madness. We're doing poorly because we misjudged the Cobra threat and they pulled a few surprises on us. Sure they're fighting better than average, but that shouldn't be something we can't overcome," Lady Jaye was rising to the argument, beginning to shout back at Gung Ho. She stood on her toes in order to close the height gap between their faces. "Even if somehow it is him, legend or not, he was still human! We have more experience with modern warfare and more experience with Cobra's regular troops. We can beat him!"

Gung Ho stared wide-eyed at Lady Jaye. Lady Jaye's face softened as they both came to the same realization. Lady Jaye spoke quietly. "You do want to beat him, right?"

"Er, right," Gung Ho managed to say, scratching the back of his head and looking down.

"Are you guys done?" It was Roadblock. Gung Ho wasn't sure when he had walked in. Surveying the room, it looked like their little argument had attracted the attention of those currently seeking treatment from Doc. Gung Ho kicked himself mentally over lowering troop morale. He felt guilty for laying into Lady Jaye when she had her own stuff to deal with too. Roadblock continued. "I understand we're all a little stressed right now but we have a battle to fight. I'll take care of the front lines. Lady Jaye, I know this isn't really the optimal setup, but why don't you try to sneak into that radio station and find out what's up with the jamming, these purple guys and whatever else Cobra has up their sleeve? Maybe you'll find Flint and the others too. Gung Ho, you take over for Lady Jaye back here."

"Sounds good to me," Lady Jaye managed a tired smile in Roadblock's direction before leaving to prepare for her new objective.

Gung Ho felt like he was being benched for bad behavior. As Roadblock turned to leave, he spoke again. "You know, even if he is the most decorated soldier of all time, Cobra must have twisted him to get him to work on their side. Whatever they've done, he won't be as effective. I'm sure in heaven, the real general will be glad we stopped him."

"I know, I know," Gung Ho muttered.

"Anyway, be on your toes," continued Roadblock. "This one is going to come to the wire."

#-#-#-#-#

Lady Jaye nonchalantly walked into Cobra's radio station base. While all too often her GI Joe teammates had to obtain their disguises by busting up a few enemy troops, by this point in her career, Lady Jaye had her own set of Cobra blues. She hadn't thought she was going to need them on this particular trip, so it was fortunate she hadn't removed them from her javelin pack before the mission. She missed her javelin pack whenever she was in disguise. Especially when infiltrating a Cobra base, close quarters or not, she rather have them with her.

Despite the fact that her Cobra uniform covered her face and was pretty much an exact copy of the the ones GI Joe had confiscated over the years, Lady Jaye still needed to move around the base stealthily. There weren't a lot of women making up Cobra's ground forces. The male-folk likely spent a lot of time examining the few there were and thus would be expected to know all who they came in contact with on sight. Lady Jaye estimated that the uniform only gave her a few seconds of advantage in close encounters. Getting through the battlefield had been easy because everyone's attentions were focused elsewhere. The base didn't have such distractions.

Lady Jaye kept a brisk pace. Part of her cover was appearing to know what she was doing and where she was going. Furthermore, if she had to pass anyone in a hallway, it would decrease the amount of time she was in their visual field. In her heart, Lady Jaye also knew she was walking fast because she wanted to rescue Flint and the others. She chided herself. She was a professional. She focused on trying to keep the most appropriate pace.

Roadblock had suggested the venture firstly as a fact-finding mission about the Cobra agents with the purple insignias and the signal jamming blocking their communications to GI Joe headquarters, but Lady Jaye knew even before he mentioned the missing Joes that Roadblock was giving her a push to go do what she needed to do. However, as friendly a man as he was, Roadblock wouldn't suggest something that would endanger the mission. He had the extra objectivity that Lady Jaye needed to assure herself that she wasn't just being selfish.

Still, Lady Jaye felt guilty looking for the holding cells before the operations center. She told herself that if she could use the backup. It was rational, but there was that annoying spectre of all the other reasons she wanted to find her friends first – especially because she didn't even know they had been taken prisoner, they could have fallen in battle. 'No,' she told herself. 'Cobra values its trophies too much for that. Even if that had happened, we would know. They would make sure of it.'

Lady Jaye continued making her way through the hallways of the radio station. She couldn't look behind every door. That would arouse suspicion. She was pretty sure that any place she was looking for would have posted guards. Radio stations didn't exactly come with dungeons, one of Cobra's favorite places to toss Joes, along with arenas of sport. Radio stations were also not as sturdy. Wherever they were keeping Flint and the others, they were probably keeping a close watch on them. Then it occurred to Lady Jaye, the perfect place to do that in a radio station would be a recording booth and its corresponding control room. They might not have guards posted after all but the door to the control room would probably be left open. With that in mind, Lady Jaye continued her rounds.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before Lady Jaye came upon some helpful wall signs. After passing a couple of completely shut recording studios, she found the one she was looking for. Not only was the door to the control room open, but she could hear the bored chatter of the guards. They were keeping an eye on their prisoners, but also poking at the various recording equipment around them. Lady Jaye smiled as she realized another convenience of the situation: the small, enclosed, sound-proof, room.

Gas grenades were often useful to Lady Jaye, especially when she was outnumbered and needed to make an escape. She didn't have much room to carry them in her disguises, but usually managed to carry at least one. She pulled the pin out of the sleeping gas grenade, counted silently to herself, and finally rolled it into the control booth. As soon as she saw it start spewing gas, she grabbed the door handle and shut the Cobra guards in the room. She held tightly to the knob, wedging her feet into the walls to gain leverage. By the time they realized what was going on, it was too late for them to fight her hold on the door.

Once she felt the Cobra guard's pull on the door disappear, Lady Jaye knew it was safe to let go and attend to her friends in the recording booth. When she opened the door, she saw a pile of rope behind Snake Eyes who was busily untying Stalker. There was no sign of Flint.

"When I said we would wait until the guards were asleep at the wheel, I didn't mean it so literally. Much obliged," Stalker offered with a weak smile. His words sounded labored. Snake Eyes was holding a single finger in front of his mouth, trying to convince Stalker to be quiet – to not talk. Stalker ignored him and turned more serious. "They took Flint somewhere else, but I think he's okay. You know Cobra, they think that if they can cut off the troops from the leader, we'll fall apart. That might be true of them, but not of us. How are things on the outside?"

"They could be better," said Lady Jaye. "What happened to you?"

"Took a hard hit to the ribs and fell off a speeding Stinger. Hurts like the dickens, but I'll be okay. Come on, let's take care of those clowns and go find Flint," Stalker shifted his head towards the recording booth window, indicating the knocked out Cobra agents in the next room. "Hopefully they won't come to change guards for a while."

It was apparent from the view of the control booth that the sleeping gas had dissipated. The guards would be out for only a little while longer, but plenty enough time for the Joes to tie them up and take their uniforms and weapons. They weren't exactly inconspicuous between Lady Jaye's gender, Stalker's injury and Snake Eye's visor, but it would have to do.

A search of the rest of the recording booths proved fruitless. There was no sign of Flint. Lady Jaye worried that they might be interrogating him in any one of the offices throughout the building. They had no choice but to press their ears up to every door, listening for signs of Flint. With three people, it at least went quickly. Occasionally, a real Cobra agent would pass through, but the Joes were alert enough to hear them coming and quick enough to resume normal-looking activities when they came around.

Unfortunately, they weren't able to hear Storm Shadow before he dropped in at the end of the hallway.

"I knew I sensed an unwanted presence," said Storm Shadow. "I'm afraid I cannot let you continue."

"Damn!" Stalker spoke through gritted teeth. "What's he doing here?"

Snake Eyes was already running towards the Cobra ninja. He turned his head towards his GI Joe comrades, reaching his arm out with his fingers spread, signally for them to stay back. He then waved his hand at them, as if he wanted to push them away, telling them to keep going and that he would take care of Storm Shadow.

"No, Snake Eyes – ," Stalker started.

"He's right," interrupted Lady Jaye. "We need to continue with the mission. I don't like it either but he's buying us some time. We need to go."

Lady Jaye pulled Stalker around the corner at the opposite end of the hall from Storm Shadow. She knew she needed to move quickly but didn't want to stress Stalker's injury at the same time. Stalker was obviously concerned for Snake Eyes. One of the few things that GI Joe and Cobra seemed to agree upon was that it was pointless to have Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow fight. Both groups seemed to act so that the two wouldn't run into each other. They were both fine soldiers in their own right, but once together, it was as if they would lose sight of their real mission and fight each other to a bloody, pointless, stalemate. Then both GI Joe and Cobra would each have to deal with a moody ninja for the next week. Snake Eyes could be counted on to do his job, but he was unnerving to be around during those time periods.

GI Joe had better men to deal with Storm Shadow, men who were less emotionally invested but had the know-how to deal with the Cobra ninja. Spirit came to mind first, but there were others. Unfortunately, none of them were with them at the moment. Stalker was in no shape to try. Lady Jaye knew her skills would be put to better use finding Flint and the operations center, especially because she was unlikely able to best Storm Shadow.

Lady Jaye wondered to herself what Storm Shadow was doing there in the first place. Did his appearance mean that Cobra Commander himself was there? It wouldn't be unlike the Cobra leader to see up the attack himself, especially if there was something weird going on with the men in the purple insignias. Cobra Commander was rather boisterous though, surely they would know by now if he was there. Despite being Cobra Commander's bodyguard, Storm Shadow was often sent off to do things that Cobra Commander didn't trust others to do.

Having put a fair amount of distance between Storm Shadow and themselves, Lady Jaye and Stalker resumed their search for Flint. Lady Jaye felt even more rushed than before. Fortunately, a few hallway turns later and they found their door.

"You Cobras must be pretty scared if you have to come in here and tell me fairytales of how well you're doing," Flint could be heard mocking his guards.

Lady Jaye quickly ran through a couple scenarios in her head. There were probably three guards in there with Flint, give or take a few. Stalker had been holding his own through the hallways and would probably be fine with the Cobra laser rifle he was carrying. He was probably still able to beat up Cobra flunkies, assuming they didn't hit his injury. Still, they couldn't just go in with guns blazing, they might hit Flint. Lady Jaye decided she would have to blow her cover, knowing Flint would recognize her voice before the Cobra agents acted on their suspicions. She knocked on the door.

"I've got a message from Storm Shadow," Lady Jaye called through the door.

"Storm Shadow?" an unfamiliar voice asked. "Storm Shadow's not on this mission. What's goin – urgh!"

Lady Jaye and Stalker burst through the door. As Lady Jaye had predicted, Flint had known to act. Judging how one of the Cobra agents was on the ground clutching his stomach, he had delivered a hard kick to the man's stomach. He was in the middle of head-butting another guard when they had busted through the door. Stalker kept his laser rifle trained on the two guards that Flint had brought to the ground and Lady Jaye easily took out the third.

"Did I ever tell you that you're beautiful?" asked Flint as Lady Jaye untied him.

"No," teased Lady Jaye. "It must be this Cobra uniform."

"Oh, I think it would be much better without the uniform."

Stalker rolled his eyes and effected a cough. "If you two don't mind, I could use that rope for our friends over here."

Lady Jaye filled Flint in on their situation while he put on one of the guard's uniforms. Stalker was tying up the guards while she kept her laser rifle pointed at them.

"So let me get this straight," said Flint as he finished putting on the Cobra shirt. "Not only do they have a newer, better, ultrasonic ray, but they apparently also have three Chesty Pullers working on their side and they're jamming our communications."

"Well, that's what it seems like," said Lady Jaye. "Though only Gung Ho is really sure about that Chesty Puller bit."

"I wonder if the jamming is related to their ultrasonic weapon," said Stalker. "That thing has quite the expanded range."

"Could be," said Flint. "But it's just as likely coming from this radio station. If things are really bad out there, we could use a call for reinforcements. I don't know how close they could get by jet with that ultrasonic weapon though."

"Looks like we'll just have to see about shutting down this radio station and destroying their new ultrasonic weapon," said Stalker.

#-#-#-#-#

Roadblock gritted his teeth and let loose another volley from his his M-2. Things weren't going well on the battlefield. There were numerous casualties. Doc's staff looked especially strained whenever Roadblock spotted one of them making his way through the terrain. Gung Ho's group in the rear was already fighting hard.

Surveying the area, Roadblock spotted four of the men with the purple logos. There was one on either flank, one bringing up the rear and one leading the way. With the knowledge of Lady Jaye and Gung Ho's argument, Roadblock did notice that all four men seemed to have the same barrel-chested build. Could Gung Ho have been right? Was this really some sort of Cobra perversion of the marine legend? No wonder he was so upset.

Roadblock continued to shout commands at the greenshirts. He was trying his best to hold Cobra off but at the same time didn't want to waste lives. He hoped that Lady Jaye would find the answer inside the Cobra base.

#-#-#-#-#

Snake Eyes' laser rifle lay on the floor, several meters away from where its user stood. Firing it had been pointless, Snake Eyes had been pretty sure of that result from the beginning, but he had to try. It gave him a good gauge of the Storm Shadow's current level of skill. Storm Shadow had made quick work of knocking the rifle from his hands. Snake Eyes had used Storm Shadow's focus on the rifle to deliver a kick to the chest that had sent the white ninja reeling backwards. Snake Eyes took out his knife, hoping that the cheap Cobra issue would hold up, but not putting too much faith in it.

Storm Shadow held a katana. He had various other weapons showing and probably more hidden, but the katana would be the one used. Storm Shadow wasn't very good with the katana, relatively speaking. He was an expert, no doubt, but in a field of experts, his skills were lacking. Though easily superior with a variety of other weaponry, Storm Shadow stubbornly clung to the katana, sometimes even when the chips were down. Snake Eyes wondered how much of it was a cultural thing. The Japanese had great pride in their native sword. It was probably a stick in Storm Shadow's craw that he wasn't superior with the katana. Snake Eyes being better with it was just salt in the wound.

Snake Eyes wasn't sure whether to admire Storm Shadow for his persistence or admonish him for his obstinance. Somehow, Snake Eyes was sure that no matter how much effort Storm Shadow put into his training, he wasn't going to become better. The something that was holding him back was psychological. It was probably the same thing keeping him with Cobra, or at least related.

Storm Shadow didn't waste any more time going after Snake Eyes. Not relying too much on the knife, Snake Eyes dodged Storm Shadow's cuts, trying, but failing, to get a good hold on the white ninja. He didn't have time to try much else. Valuing his limbs, Snake Eyes did not attempt to kick or punch.

Snake Eyes kept up their dance, watching Storm Shadow's rage and exasperation grow. When Storm Shadow put his body behind an especially powerful strike, Snake Eyes sidestepped it and grabbed Storm Shadow's sword wrist, squeezing it tightly to loosen the grip on the hilt. Swiftly, he brought the serrated base of his knife to the base of the katana, parrying it out of Storm Shadow's hands. The sword went flying and then sliding down the hallway, spinning all the while. Snake Eyes then used his gripping hand to elbow Storm Shadow in the chest, taking care to hit him in the same spot he had kicked before, and then ran off towards the katana.

Storm Shadow launched a volley of shuriken in Snake Eyes' direction. He was off-balance and knew that none of them would hit their target, but he intended to keep Snake Eyes occupied. Snake Eyes was no more burdened by the throwing stars than Storm Shadow had been by the laser rifle. He knew this was partially because Storm Shadow had been unprepared. What followed would be worse. Storm Shadow was extremely gifted when it came to projectiles. His aim was swift and accurate.

Snake Eyes scooped up the katana and spun around. By the time he saw the empty hallway, it was too late. A kunai had embedded itself in the flesh and muscle of his shoulder. He quickly turned to find Storm Shadow dropping down from the ceiling behind him. He must have spider-walked along the ceiling, using the narrow walls to help him stay up. Snake Eyes had not expected him to be so quick.

Storm Shadow was being arrogant. He would have a better chance keeping his distance and using more throwing weapons or even a bow if he was carrying one. Storm Shadow might like to think of it as honor, but it exuded a perverse pride to Snake Eyes. Surely, Storm Shadow would know that despite not carrying one or using one in combat, Snake Eyes would maintain his sword skills. It was something he did diligently. Storm Shadow was usually prudent when it came to his Cobra duties. Here, he was letting his emotions get the best of him. Storm Shadow drew his wakizashi.

Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow dueled briefly. Between Snake Eyes' advantage in skill and reach and Storm Shadow's emotional upheaval, it was soon over. Snake Eyes knocked the wakizashi away from Storm Shadow and followed up by knocking his opponent against the wall. He held Storm Shadow in place and brought the blade to his throat.

"Kill me," said Storm Shadow. He was smiling through his mask. "That knife in your shoulder is drugged. You won't be standing much longer. When you fall, I'll certainly kill you and then I'll go after your friends."

Snake Eyes considered the possibilities. He knew Storm Shadow wasn't lying. Snake Eyes could try to knock him out, but he wasn't sure how long that would last, especially if he didn't want to do any permanent damage. Snake Eyes really didn't want to hurt him. Storm Shadow knew. They both knew. Snake Eyes only drew blood when he absolutely had to. He still held out hope for the Storm Shadow he knew from before – the Storm Shadow who always reached out to to him despite his reticence, the Storm Shadow who invited him into his circle with open arms, the Storm Shadow he trained with, the Storm Shadow who smiled and laughed and joked.

The Storm Shadow that _she_ reminded him of.

Snake Eyes started to feel the sluggishness setting in. It was becoming more of a chore to keep Storm Shadow pinned. He tried not to show any sign of faltering but knew it was only time before Storm Shadow would begin to sense what was going on. He couldn't let Storm Shadow go after his teammates. He searched desperately for the answer.

"Snake Eyes!" Flint's voice echoed through the hall. Help had arrived.

Storm Shadow used the distraction and Snake Eyes' wavering strength to his advantage. He landed as high a kick as he could from his position. Once the blade of his sword had fallen back enough for him to move, he dashed away, disappearing around a corner. Snake Eyes started to go after him.

"Snake Eyes! That's enough!" Flint called, running over to catch up with him. "We'll get him next time. Right now we have to stop the Cobra troops."

Snakes Eyes glared at the corner where he had seen Storm Shadow escape to before turning to Flint and nodding resignedly. The two men joined Lady Jaye and Stalker.

"That looks pretty nasty," said Stalker, indicating the kunai still stuck in Snake Eyes' shoulder. "Sadly we don't exactly have the facilities to handle it right now. Are you going to be okay?"

When Snake Eyes didn't move, Stalker figured the answer was 'no,' or rather 'no, but I don't want to admit it, even though I should for everyone's sake.'

"Well, let's see how far we can go," said Stalker, knowing best how to handle his friend. "If we have to, you and I can duck into one of these rooms and wait for help. Lady Jaye and Flint should be able to handle it."

Snake Eyes nodded. He was relieved. With that knowledge, he fell to his knees.

#-#-#-#-#

Doctor Mindbender couldn't help pacing about the room. Things were going well, very well. He wondered if he, as Professor Plum's mentor, could somehow take credit for it. He had worked too hard to be replaced by someone else. All he needed to do was finesse the reports of the mission a bit before showing them to Cobra Commander.

When he got to the radio equipment, Doctor Mindbender idly traced his fingers around the controls, writing the reports of the victory in his head.

"Be careful with that!" shouted Professor Plum.

"What?! It's just the radio station's machines, not yours," said Doctor Mindbender.

"I'm using it."

"For what?"

Professor Plum sighed as if to say 'If I must tell you...' He spoke. "I told you that my clones have modified synthoid bodies. The original ones could be, let's say 'recalled,' with a certain frequency. These need a set of frequencies to maintain their shape. I modified the equipment here to suit my needs."

"So they only work near this radio station?" Doctor Mindbender looked perplexed. Perhaps these clones weren't so great after all.

"Yes, but this is just a test run. We can get a more powerful signal later," said Professor Plum. He was getting defensive. "Furthermore, I threw in a little something to jam the Joes' communications, thanks to the satellite feed this place gets. The Joes are being slaughtered."

"Right, right..." Doctor Mindbender was lost in thought. He let the conversation drop. He was still considering how he could twist this new tidbit of information to his advantage when he felt a hand over his mouth. He tried to yell but was muffled.

"You must be quiet," Storm Shadow whispered and let him go.

"Storm Shadow! What are you doing here?" Doctor Mindbender whispered back. Professor Plum was too busy watching the battle on the monitor to notice.

"Cobra Commander asked me to keep an eye on you. We need you for the next phase of Constrictor," Storm Shadow replied. After a pause, he continued. "At least four Joes have infiltrated this building. They're probably on their way here now. I must to get you to safety."

Doctor Mindbender thought the situation over. Perhaps this was not such a clear cut victory after all. Professor Plum's own paranoia prevented him from having much in the way of guards. If the Joes shut down the radio transmitter, not only would they be able to call for reinforcements, but Plum's clones would evaporate. It might be in his best interest that way.

Checking to see that Plum was still fully occupied, Doctor Mindbender ran his eyes over the room. He spotted Plum's lab notebook. Thinking it might come in handy some day, he grabbed it and then turned to Storm Shadow. "Very well, let's go."

#-#-#-#-#

Flint hated leaving two injured men alone, but at the same time he knew he shouldn't try to take down the radio transmitter by himself. It was probably well guarded. Stalker had assured him that he would be able to take care of any minor threat. It was unlikely anyone would even check the room they had stowed up in, much less a serious force.

There were only two guards standing outside when Flint and Lady Jaye found the appropriate room. There was no telling how many were inside. Still wearing their disguises, Flint and Lady Jaye were able to walk right up to the guards. Flint stopped as if he was going to ask the first one something while Lady Jaye continued until she had just passed the second one. In unison, they coldcocked their respective guards. It was that easy.

After securing the unconscious guards, Flint and Lady Jaye walked right in, still maintaining their fake Cobra identities.

"What are you two doing in here?! I told you I wasn't to be disturbed!" shouted a man with a purple Cobra insignia. "Mindbender! Can't these buffoons follow orders?!"

Flint, Lady Jaye and Professor Plum looked around the room. It was empty.

"...Mindbender? ...Doctor?" Plum's voice was more sheepish now.

"The doctor's not in," said Lady Jaye. She pointed her laser rifle at Plum.

"What? What is the meaning of this?" shouted Plum as he put his hands up, not wanting to be shot.

"Just a little GI Joe medicine," smiled Flint. He walked over to the radio controls. His eyes searched until he found the correct switches. He proceeded to take the system offline. "Now why don't you tell us what exactly has been going on in here?"

"Oh. I see. You're after my research too," Plum said. Flint and Lady Jaye only looked at him with quizzical expressions. "Well, I won't let you have it!"

Professor Plum dived for his control panel, smashing down on a protected button cover.

"Flint! Look out!" yelled Lady Jaye as she realized what was happening.

Flint dived away from the equipment as it self-destructed. Not only were the radio tower controls compromised, but all of the rest of Plum's equipment went up in flames too. Plum used the diversion to flee the room.

"Not so fast!" Lady Jaye ran into the hallway, quickly catching up to Plum. She tackled him to the ground and held him there until Flint arrived.

"Nice work," said Flint. "Let's clear the building, see if we can shake loose any more snakes and put that ultrasonic weapon to bed. The guys on the outside will know to contact headquarters."

#-#-#-#-#

Gung Ho eyed the man in purple. The Joes were up against the fence, literally. It wouldn't be long before Cobra felt that the situation was safe enough for them to go after the Reserve. At least they weren't trying to destroy it. GI Joe didn't have the manpower on the scene to defend against that. Gung Ho prayed that they weren't stowing Rattlers somewhere for their coup de grace.

On the positive side, Gung Ho had received word that communications were back up. Doc was contacting headquarters. That was how shorthanded they had become. Now all they had to do was hold out until reinforcements came. Gung Ho hoped that Lady Jaye had managed to nullify the ultrasonic weapon as well.

With the battle in close quarters, the Joes were having a better time. Legendary leader or no, the difference in skill between the Cobra troops and the GI Joe greenshirts was quite clear. Knowing that this time he wasn't going to be rushed by Cobra agents, Gung Ho decided it was time to settle things with the man in purple again.

It was a different guy than the one Gung Ho had fought earlier. That previous guy, the one he had ripped the mask off of, was still out on one of the flanks of the battlefield. The man Gung Ho faced now was the one who had always been out in front. Gung Ho knew he was the same though. He had the same build. He had the same eyes.

Gung Ho made eye contact with the man. He lifted his hand and made the motion to come and fight. Then he readied himself, dropping to a crouch and spreading his arms, getting ready to grapple. In a way, Gung Ho felt honored when the man accepted his challenge.

Just as Gung Ho had always imagined, the man, Chesty, was a formidable opponent. He didn't know about any upgrades Professor Plum had made or any strength enhancements that synthoids might have. It was just Gung Ho versus the legend.

They matched blow per blow. It felt strangely refreshing. Perhaps it was just taking things down from a stressful battle to a simple fight. Perhaps it was just settling things man to man. Gung Ho wasn't really thinking about such things at the time.

Suddenly, Chesty doubled over, as if in pain. Gung Ho was confused as he hadn't landed anything at the time. He looked around. All of the men with the purple Cobra insignias had fallen over the same way. The Cobra troops looked panicked. The greenshirts weren't going to let up. The tides were definitely turning in the GI Joes favor.

Gung Ho knelt over his opponent and took off the mask. As he had suspected, it was the same face.

"You're not half bad for an enemy bastard," he said before melting into a puddle of pinkish goo and seeping into the ground.

Gung Ho frowned and looked into the clear night sky. "Goodnight Chesty, wherever you are."


	9. Disarming Situations

"Stalker! Good to hear from you," Wild Bill spoke into the communications screen. An image of Stalker in some sort of hospital bed was in view. He looked more annoyed than seriously wounded. It was a good sign. Stalker was broadcasting from a secure line in an army base near their recent altercation with Cobra. Wild Bill hoped they were experiencing some good Texas hospitality, even if many of the men at the base weren't Texas natives. He put his cowboy boots up on a relatively safe portion of the control panel and leaned back in his chair. He teased his friend a little. "Have things all settled down... or just for you?"

"Settled down in that the battle is over, yeah," Stalker was feeling tired, otherwise he would probably joke around a bit more.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have rushed over myself once your signal got through," Wild Bill said regretfully. Flash and Short-Fuze had scrambled a team to aid Flint and the others.

"We had it pretty much under control by the time reinforcements arrived anyway," said Stalker. "Once Flint and Lady Jaye took out the radio tower, Cobra pretty much collapsed."

"Where is Flint anyway? I'm surprised he's not the one reporting back to base."

"He and Lady Jaye are directing the clean up of the site. There are plenty Cobra goons to see to and plenty of intelligence to gather. It's good that Flash and Short-Fuze are here, especially if any of the electronics in that radio station happen to be salvageable. There was some strange stuff going on. We'll probably be here another couple of days. Gives us some time to take care of all the casualties on both sides. It was not one of our better showings."

"Speaking of which, what happened to you? For what it's worth, you don't look awful."

"Thanks. They think it's bruised ribs. The opinion post-X-ray should come back soon. Considering how long they're taking, I think it's a good sign. They're probably attending to men with more serious injuries now."

"Aw, that's no good, get well soon."

"I'm more concerned about all the boring desk tasks that Flint is going to saddle me with," Stalker quipped. "Of course, what Flint's up to isn't all that fun either. I'm sure he'll make it fun though."

"How's everyone else?"

"Gung Ho's fine, though riled up. He's off helping Flint. I think he's blowing off a little steam, keeping the Cobra prisoners in line," Stalker started. "Doc's stressed. He's trying to take care of us and coordinate with his own staff and the base's staff. You wouldn't know it looking at him, but I can tell 'cuz he's sweating a little."

"Snake Eyes is a couple beds down from me. He took a poison knife from Storm Shadow. He's going to be okay though. Right now he's either sleeping or sulking. I can't really tell," continued Stalker.

"Storm Shadow huh? Did you – ?"

"No, no, got away as usual," Stalker interrupted, frowning. "Supposedly that new guy Lady Jaye was talking about in briefing a while back, uh, Doctor Mindbender, was there, but we never saw him. We did get some crazy scientist out of it though. I don't really know the details yet."

"Shucks, that's too bad," said Wild Bill. "How about Roadblock?"

Stalker paused, glancing off screen. He smiled broadly and spoke. "Roadblock's got a date."

"I heard that," Wild Bill recognized Roadblock's voice though he wasn't within the field of view. "It isn't a date."

"Yeah, because you always go through the hassle of requisitioning dress greens from random army bases for 'not a date,'" Stalker was still smiling. He turned to Wild Bill. "He also spent the last hour primping himself."

"If I'm going to her place to make dinner, I don't want to smell like Cobra and I certainly don't want Cobra flavor transferring into the food," Roadblock argued.

"Going to her place already? My, my," Wild Bill couldn't help joining the needling. "At least the man's got good taste. They don't make 'em anywhere like they do in Texas."

"She's just a friend," Wild Bill thought he could hear Roadblock blushing. "Anyway, I will be you two adieu, I'm off for my rendezvous."

"Have fun!" called Stalker.

"We won't wait up for you!" Wild Bill added. Once it was clear that Roadblock had left, Wild Bill asked. "So who is she?"

"A lady by the name of Honda Lou. She's got her own shipping business, does a lot of work with foodstuffs. Good match don't you think? They met during that whole Pyramid of Darkness thing and have apparently been keeping in touch."

"Well I'll be," Wild Bill let the comment stand for a few moments. "Need anything else from HQ?"

"I think we've got it covered now that everything is over. I'll try to get more details on our plans by next check-in. I might even have the preliminary reports done by then," Stalker looked less than thrilled with the prospect.

"Alright then, take good care of yourself," Wild Bill waved into the screen before closing the communications link. It hadn't been very long since he had been left in charge of the base. Despite his laid back demeanor, he was taking the job seriously. He knew what the team did not need was a new manager-type who was all too eager to 'make things better,' especially with everything else going on. The team was still reacting negatively to that trait in Beachhead and that was just during training. The new guys and the rest of the team would settle in together soon, Wild Bill was sure of that.

Though he was trying to cause as little disruption as possible to the normal flow of GI Joe activities, Wild Bill was certainly feeling the difference in his own routine. He was spending a large amount of time in the communications center even though Breaker and Sparks were both still on base. Of course, he didn't have a large portion of the other tasks that those minding the base usually had. He thought it best to at least be as available as possible should something crop up that needed his attention. He had taken the bulk of the check-in communiques while he was awake, leaving the others to do routine maintenance and listen for what was unexpected.

"Get your feet off the table!" Duke was using his "Dad" voice. Wild Bill wondered how many times Duke had been at the receiving end of that line. Even though Duke was mostly joking, Wild Bill removed his feet from the control panel and turned around in his chair. He noticed that Duke wasn't wearing his bandolier. It looked like he had something bulky under his shirt in the area of his left shoulder.

"Duke! I wasn't expecting you back for... well, for a good long while," said Wild Bill.

"I wasn't expecting me back either," said Duke. "That new kid, Lifeline, wouldn't let me stay."

"What happened?"

"Shipwreck and I got unlucky," said Duke. "Think Sorcerer's Apprentice with laser rifles instead of water buckets. It's nothing serious but Lifeline wanted us back here in case they got infected or something. I just spent the last couple hours getting poked and lectured in the infirmary."

"Guess this just isn't our week then. Flint's group took heavy casualties down in Texas. Stalker and Snake Eyes included. Stalker says reports will be forthcoming. They did manage to stop Cobra though."

"That's better than I can say about our group. Beachhead and the rest of them are trying to track Cobra down as we speak," Duke paused. "I guess it's a good thing I came back. I can take care of whatever Flint needs on this end."

"I only spoke with Stalker briefly, but it sounds like they got things all set up with the local army folks. Of course, that was probably the first spare moment he had, so he might not know what's what with his kind hosts just yet."

"How are the other teams doing?"

"Airtight says his team hasn't found anything yet. Alpine and Dusty both report no luck on their respective stake-outs so far too."

"And what about the new crop of greenshirts?"

Wild Bill chuckled. "Oh they're having one heck of a time. Grunt's been trying to fill in for Beachhead but everyone's been lending a hand so they've been getting their helping of specialties earlier than normal. Ordinance with Bazooka, hand-to-hand with Scarlett, underwater with Torpedo – the whole motorpool's been giving them an early sampling of all sorts of toys. Let me tell you though, after the workout Cover Girl gave them for improper care and handling of a motor vehicle, they might be wishing for Beachhead to come back soon."

"Well," Duke smiled. "At least things are running smoothly around here. If you don't mind holding down the fort for the rest of the day, I think I'll head to my office and try to catch up on what I missed. I'm sure there's a whole stack of drudgery just waiting for me."

"Pretty much, I tried to keep my part of it to a minimum though. But sure, go ahead, I'll let you know when Stalker or Flint check in."

"Thanks Wild Bill."

#-#-#-#-#

Breaker leaned back in his chair and stretched out his shoulders. He had a tendency to lean over the control panels which wasn't very good for his back. Like the rest of the Joes, he took great care with his physical fitness but bad habits were hard to break.

It was the dead of night in the base. Breaker preferred the late night shift. Years in the military and it was still a chore to get up early. He was definitely a night person through and through. He worked much better when the sun was down, especially when it came to the electronics. It helped that there were less distractions from both people around the base and incoming communications.

Especially with so many of the Joes off-base, headquarters was quiet with its skeleton crew at night. Steeler and Zap were running guard duty along the perimeter. Breaker kept an eye on the security feeds. When the base was more populated, there were usually a few Joes pulling late nights over some reports or projects. Some would be preparing for missions leaving at any hour. Depending on the day of the week, some might be coming home from a night out or staying up too late playing cards.

Breaker didn't complain when taking day shifts. It was nice to see the folks who usually didn't stay up late. If there was some serious Cobra activity, Breaker didn't care what the time of day was, he was eager to be involved. Still, Sparks was much more of a normal schedule person. Breaker would miss the kid when he left. Sparks had caught the broadcasting bug and was following his dream to work for a television studio.

After switching off with Sparks, Breaker had spent most of the night doing system maintenance. He wasn't bringing any of the systems down, but it helped that not many people were using them at the time. He had spoken briefly with the active field teams, mostly with Dusty because it was day time in Australia. It had been an a perfectly forgettable night until Breaker noticed something on one of the security feeds.

It was Zartan. He was carefully carrying something large and white, shaped like a half-keg. He had already made it down into the living quarters. Pounding the button to sound the alarm, Breaker wondered how Zartan had made it so far without being noticed. The alarm didn't sound. Breaker pushed on the button a few more times, like an impatient man waiting for an elevator, but it continued not to work. Cursing, Breaker grabbed a laser rifle and ran out of the control room in Zartan's direction.

Breaker ran through the hallways and down a staircase. Because there was no one within the range of his voice, he mostly kept quiet. There was no need to give Zartan too much notice. Most of the people on base were sleeping in their quarters. He would cause a ruckus once he confronted Zartan and perhaps wake up some back up.

"Hold it right there Zartan!" Breaker shouted as he rounded the corner. He aimed his laser rifle at the mercenary.

Zartan knelt down slowly, placing the small barrel he was holding on the ground, his back turned to Breaker. Just as slowly, he raised his arms at height with his head while returning to a standing position. The entire set of actions seemed like old hat to him. He began to turn.

Breaker was surprised to see a mean-spirited grin on Zartan's face just as the mercenary turned his head. It was only for a split second though, as Zartan suddenly lunged at Breaker, ducking under the aim of his rifle and tackling him to the ground.

With Breaker pinned under him, Zartan landed a couple punches to the Joe's jaw. Breaker was momentarily stunned by Zartan's advance but quickly regained his senses and reacted. He used his rifle to block Zartan's fists while kicking his legs up to try to throw the man off of him. As Breaker progressed to knocking Zartan in the chest with the laser rifle, Zartan changed strategies and grabbed onto the gun as well, trying to wrest it away from the Joe. Zartan's pulling at the weapon put him off balance enough that Breaker was able to get somewhere with his kicking.

The two men were soon rolling in the hallway, struggling to get both the rifle and the upper hand. Their loud slams into the walls succeeded in alerting some of the sleeping Joes living down the hallway. Clutch and Scarlett appeared from their respective doors, still clad in their sleepwear – Clutch in white boxers and an undershirt, Scarlett in an over-sized Notre Dame baseball jersey and Cookie Monster slippers. In their groggy state, it took them a few moments to understand what was going on. They had expected some friendly roughhousing gone overboard since their was no alarm, but instead, it was Zartan.

At the first possible opening, Clutch, who was closest, dove at Zartan, knocking him off of Breaker. Clutch wasn't able to keep a hold on the mercenary and the two men each rolled a couple times on the floor before getting up and facing each other. Making use of his new freedom to fight standing upright, Zartan landed a high kick to the side of Clutch's head.

Zartan swung his fist for a follow up as Clutch reeled back from the kick, but Scarlett was fast to catch up and caught his arm before he could act. When he moved his free arm, she quickly snatched that one as well. As the two grappled, Scarlett looked over to Breaker who was rubbing his chin, blood flowing from his lower llip.

"Wake up whoever you can! We'll hold him for now!" Scarlett directed to Breaker. Zartan was trying to kick her legs out from under her but she managed to retain her footing. It was difficult without the added protection of her boots. The mercenary also tried varying the force that his arms exerted but she maintained the tug-of-war-like stalemate the two were locked in.

Breaker picked himself up and ran from door to door, pounding on the ones attached to the quarters of Joes he knew to be on base. He didn't spend too much time at any one door, choosing to cover as many as possible. He knew there was a possibility that some, not realizing it wasn't a social call, would take their time getting ready. Joes could be up and ready real fast when it came to alarms or the much quieter sound of laser fire, but neither of those sounds had been heard.

After a couple unsuccessful turns in the maze of the GI Joe living quarters, Breaker decided perhaps it was time to use that laser fire sound. He prepared to open fire. He hoped he didn't hit anyone or even damage the walls. Not really knowing what warning to give, he began shooting long and high at the ceiling and shouting the nearest applicable phrase that came to mind. "Fire in the hole!"

Scarlett was still grappling with Zartan. He was a formidable opponent. He had started out as a scrapper, gaining dominance in his local gang scene. He was a fighter in every sense of the word. When he was determined to win, he would use any means necessary and didn't easily give up. While he had never received any formal training, he was a fast learner with plenty of practice under his belt. His powers of mimicry weren't through genetic manipulation alone. He was able to quickly master any skills necessary to keep up his charade. Scarlett wondered what kind of person he might have become had circumstances been different for him.

Clutch came up from behind Zartan and grabbed him, looping his right arm under Zartan's neck, and pinching it with the help of his free hand. Zartan grunted and struggled. He soon began to weaken.

"Watch out, he's a slippery one," Scarlett said as she let go of Zartan when he stopped resisting, going limp. She hoped help would arrive soon so they could fully subdue him before he awoke. She knew he would try something tricky unless they had him tied up with several lasers aimed at him.

Clutch let up on his chokehold. He had no intention of killing the man. Zartan waited a few moments for Clutch to fully drop his defenses before dropping his unconscious act. He then swiftly grabbed Clutch's arm with both his hands and bent over quickly, throwing the Joe over his back and down the hallway.

Scarlett was quick to go after Zartan again, this time with both of her hands free. The two traded kicks and strikes with blocks and dodges. Finally, while dodging one of Zartan's punches, Scarlett was able to grab hold of his arm with one hand and give his momentum an extra push with the other, sending him past her and into a wall near the hallway intersection. She pinned him there with the grabbed fist behind his back. She looked up and noticed that Breaker had returned with Grunt, Airborne, Snow Job and Duke. With Zartan under control and everything stopped for the time being, Scarlett took a moment to reflect on the strangeness of the situation.

Only half of the Joes had taken the time to put on their uniforms. Grunt had. He was behind one of the first doors that Breaker had gone banging on and hadn't realized the true and urgent need for his help. Airborne was in his uniform, laser rifle in hand. He had been one of the quickest out the door when Breaker started making serious noise in his hallway. It was almost as if he woke up a few minutes beforehand, knowing something was coming.

Snow Job was clad in thick long underwear. While Autumn at Joe Headquarters was warm compared to the temperatures he worked best in, Snow Job always kept himself well covered. No one was quite sure whether it was just a matter of uniform and habit, a general desire to always be warm, or a precautionary measure, having seen so many comrades succumb to frost bite or exposure during his career.

Duke apparently slept in flannel pajama pants. Seeing the bandages centered under his left collarbone, Scarlett felt a bit conscience-stricken, especially given Duke's speech to her several weeks before. Furthermore, she couldn't help but notice that despite all the paperwork a CO had to do, Duke certainly kept in shape. Most of all, Scarlett was realizing how much she missed him, despite the fact they had both been on base for most of the past several weeks. She felt Zartan squirm a bit. She admonished herself for getting distracted and slammed him into the wall again, letting him know that he wasn't getting away this time.

Scarlett wasn't the only one paused in a stunned silence. The rest of the Joes didn't expect to find Zartan, Clutch in boxers, and Scarlett without pants. Grunt finally broke the silence. "What's going on?"

"I noticed Zartan skulking about on the video feeds. The alarms weren't working so I came down here myself," said Breaker.

"He gave us a bit of trouble," Clutch admitted. He held his hand near his head, one of his eyes half closed. He knew he would have a headache all day. "But looks like things are under control now."

"No sign of any other snakes?" asked Duke.

"None," said Breaker. "Admittedly, no one is watching the video feeds right now, though few would be able to get past our perimeter detail, especially not being directly led by Zartan."

"Alright," said Duke, having sized up the situation. "I'll have Zap and the others do a sweep and review the security tapes. Grunt, go grab a gun. You, Airborne and Breaker take Zartan to a cell. I'll be down shortly once I get dressed and we'll see what he's up to. The rest of you can all go back to bed. Oh, and Breaker, see if you can find out what went wrong with the alarm system after you're done."

The uniformed Joes surrounded Zartan, trying to decide on the safest configuration for transporting the mercenary. They had him safely outnumbered and out-gunned so he would most likely behave on his trip to the holding cells. Clutch continued to look on suspiciously. Snow Job hung around as well, not wanting to be the only one to leave. No longer having to hold Zartan, Scarlett walked over to Duke.

"I'll be down to question Zartan too," Scarlett notified her CO.

Duke internally cringed. He had told Flint he would deal with Scarlett, but he had been planning to do so when he was all caught up and prepared. He had thought maybe in another day or two he would call her into his office and they would talk. Of course, he had been telling himself something like that for weeks, even before speaking with Flint. The days passed by quickly and with each one, it became that much harder to explain why he had been avoiding her. He couldn't even explain it to himself. Either way, he didn't have time to sort it out in the middle of the night.

"That won't be necessary," said Duke. "You have – "

Before Duke could finish his sentence, Airborne's voice relayed a sudden warning. "Watch out, he's got something!"

The non-uniformed Joes turned and sawtheir comrades attempt to get something from Zartan's hands.

"I got it!" Grunt held a small electronic device in the air. The top of it had started blinking red. Breaker and Airborne kept their rifles aimed at Zartan. The mercenary only laughed.

"It's too late," Zartan smiled mockingly. Across the darkened hallway, a glowing red timer appeared on the small white barrel he had been carrying earlier. The Joes looked on in horror. Seven minutes. There was no sure way to get the Cobra device out of headquarters in seven minutes. "It can't be turned off."

"Get that turkey into a cell now!" Duke called out to Grunt and the others. "Clutch, go wake up Short-Fuze! We'll wake the others!"

"Short-Fuze and Flash went to help Flint's team in Texas!" Clutch's normally confident expression was replaced with one of dread.

"But then – " Snow Job began to speak what everyone was thinking before being interrupted.

"I'll disarm it," it was Bazooka. He appeared from the same hallway Breaker had led them from. He was wearing bright red footie pajamas, complete with a flap in the back, and for whatever reason, his helmet. In one arm, he was holding a well-worn brown stuffed teddy bear. Between his plainly spoken words and his eye-opening attire, the other Joes were momentarily speechless.

Scarlett, Clutch and Snow Job were all considering ways to dissuade Bazooka of the idea when Duke spoke up. He stood across from Bazooka, put his arm on the Joe's shoulder, and looked him straight in the eye. "Okay."

Duke turned to the others. "Everyone else, take cover!"

Clutch and Snow Job followed Duke's command and ran down one of the hallways stemming from the nearby intersection. Scarlett started to protest. "But – "

Duke grabbed Scarlett by the wrist and started pulling her down another one of the hallways. Scarlett found herself running to keep up with him. Not stopping to turn to her, he explained. "We have to move!"

When he felt he had gotten a decent distance away and that time was running low, Duke made a sharp left turn at the first available hallway junction, hoping to put more walls and less open hallway between the bomb and the two of them. Doing so, he instinctively pulled Scarlett in front of himself and held her there, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, as if to use his body as the last wall between her and the blast.

In his mind, Duke went over everyone who lived in the near the bomb, assuring himself they were all safely out of the way. Stalker, Snake Eyes, Rock n' Roll, Short-Fuze, and Flash were out on mission. Steeler and Zap were doing perimeter security. Grand Slam was on extended leave. Breaker and Grunt were escorting Zartan. Clutch had taken cover in the opposite direction and Scarlett was with him.

Scarlett's focus was on a single prayer repeated over and over again. "Please let Bazooka succeed. Please let Bazooka succeed"

Clutch and Snow Job had several Joes to awaken down their choice of hallway routes. Fortunately most of the Joes were already somewhat woken up by Breaker's earlier noise-making. Without much door-pounding, Cover Girl, Wild Bill, and Torpedo emerged from their rooms. Cover Girl had apparently already been on her way to investigate the hallway racket as she had put on a matching set of sweats. Wild Bill was still in his pajamas and Torpedo wore only navy blue boxers. Wild Bill looked the most groggy of the bunch.

"What's all the commotion?" asked a grumpy Wild Bill.

"Time bomb, we have to clear the area!" Clutch said hurriedly.

"A bomb?" Cover Girl repeated.

"Bazooka's trying to disarm it now," said Snow Job. "But just in case, we need to be a safe distance away."

"Bazooka is – ?!" Torpedo started but was cut short.

"We can all discuss this later, we gotta go now!" Clutch insisted. The five Joes ran down the rest of the length of the hallway before ducking around an intersection similar to the way Duke and Scarlett had. There, Clutch and Snow Job gave a rushed summary of what had happened with Zartan and the bomb.

In the meantime, Bazooka was busily working on the Cobra device. Using the countdown clock as a starting point, he had backtracked his way to the main wiring of the bomb. He traced each of the wires carefully, trying to figure out how he could go about severing them safely. He knew that he didn't have much time, but rushing would definitely lead to an explosion. Staying calm, not panicking, and thoroughly going over the design of the bomb at least gave him a chance.

Bazooka knew he was a bit slow. He had recently confided in Alpine his concern over this fact, and what it would mean for his future. He wouldn't always be young and ready for action. He had great faith in his fellow Joes. He was sure they would go onto great careers, military or industry, after their time out in the field had ended. He wasn't so sure about a guy like himself.

"You dunderhead," Alpine had said. "You don't get on this team if you're not the type of guy who would go onto... no, continue onto, great things. You might not be as fast as Ace or as smart as Doc, but you're still smarter and faster than most guys out there. Furthermore, who needs a fast guy who can't get the job done. You, my friend, always get the job done."

Get the job done. Time was running short. Bazooka assured himself of his understanding of the bomb wiring and began making his cuts. In some ways, it was easier to for him to focus and figure out the workings of the mechanism when he was alone. He would still take a class full of people watching him play with a dummy bomb over peace and quiet and a live one any day, but not having a sweet girl like Teiko to impress was certainly one less thing to worry about.

Cutting the final wire, watching the timer go dim, Bazooka breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't realized how much he had been holding his breath until that moment. Cautiously, he checked over the Cobra device, making sure it had no other surprises in store for them. When he was satisfied with his examination, he called to the others. "All clear!"

Upon hearing Bazooka's voice, the nearby Joes erupted in cheers. Snow Job lifted Cover Girl up several inches off the ground and spun her around. Wild Bill let out signature "Yeehaw!" Clutch and Torpedo ran right over to Bazooka, smiling broadly and patting the man on the back. On the other side, Scarlett was jumping up and down. Duke merely put his hand over his heart and took a deep breath.

The rest of the early morning hours went fairly smoothly. Duke sent Cover Girl down to inform Breaker and the others of the good news before cleaning up and going down to visit Zartan without Scarlett, despite the redhead's protests. The rest of the Joes turned in for a few more hours of rest before beginning their usual activities for the day.

#-#-#-#-#

"Everything has been done as you requested," said Storm Shadow as he stepped into Dr. Mindbender's lab. "The Joes did not see me and I left no evidence. There was no need for Zartan to divert the attentions away from the camera feeds."

"Zartan is meant to be our eyes on the inside," Dr. Mindbender replied. "It just happened to make for a nice diversion as well. Anyway, excellent work Storm Shadow. I see why Cobra Commander depends on you so much."

"I will inform Cobra Commander of our progress," Storm Shadow said simply before exitting the room.


	10. Building Up and Breaking Down

In a secret basement beneath the soon-to-be-opened Carob Method Fitness Center, the Baroness paced, her heels making clicking sounds on the floor. It wasn't so much a nervous habit as a sign that she was annoyed. Destro would be visiting shortly and she wasn't in the mood to deal with him. She found it suspicious he would choose to spend time with her when she was busy overseeing a pretty blond agent, currently going under the codename Mrs. White. The Baroness believed Destro to have more than a passing interest in blonds. She had even disguised herself as one once and as she had suspected, he welcomed her advances. She knew that it hadn't been very fair. There was no way to make a man completely stop looking. That was the bitter truth of the world.

The Baroness knew the way men worked and used it to her advantage fully. Most men wanted her for her money, her power, her body – at least she knew that Destro would not have interest in two of those attributes. But did he really love her? After she had set a chain of events in motion which resulted in the destruction of his ancestral home, he had gotten angry with her. However, it was not over the mansion directly but what horror she might have brought down on herself. After all she had done, she was still his first concern. She smiled to herself. Still, she couldn't help but test him to see if it really could be true, to see if anything had changed. She wanted the assurance it hadn't.

Destro had tried several times to convince the Baroness to quit Cobra and take a position with his company. She would have no part of it. She liked the position that she held. She was able to get away with a lot under Cobra Commander, in part because of her connections with Destro. Cobra was more in line with her interests anyway. She could command armies with Cobra. She had less taste for the more capitalistic world of Destro. She felt that old money should be used for grander pursuits than self-perpetuation. That needn't be hard. It was true that Destro was not in his business solely for money, but for a centuries old grudge. Still, as steeped in tradition as Destro was, he had more in common with the Crimson Twins than she would ever dare say to his face.

The Baroness switched on one of the large viewing screens to watch the work taking place on the floors above. In part, as Destro's arrival time approached, she wanted to see that Mrs. White was being kept suitably busy. The main floor was filled with Cobra agents. They were mostly dressed as Carob staff or delivery men. They were putting in place state-of-the-art exercise equipment and setting up sound systems. Mrs. White was overseeing them. There was a certain cheerleader aspect to the woman. It wasn't a usual character trait for the average Cobra agent but it might all be feigned. Either way, the Baroness preferred it not be directed at Destro. He was probably just coming to whine anyway. While he didn't seem like the type to most people who knew him, or of him, the Baroness found Destro to be a surprisingly needy man.

Destro descended into the secret control center via a hidden elevator. He took brisk, confident strides towards the Baroness upon the elevator's arrival.

"Destro, Darling," the Baroness welcomed Destro with open arms. "Welcome. It is wonderful to see you. I was surprised to hear you were on your way over. I know you are quite busy."

"I will always make time for you, my dear Baroness," Destro replied. Although he wore a full head mask, there was a certain tenderness to his expression as he spoke. He embraced the Baroness. After she discretely pulled away, he put his hands on her shoulders and spoke again. "How are you?"

"I am well. Most of my time is spent looking over the shoulder of that underling, Mrs. White," the Baroness hated to bring her up but her days had been filled with little else. "It's frustrating to constantly be correcting others mistakes instead of just doing it right the first time."

"It seems we are in similar predicaments then," said Destro. He started walking around the room, gesturing with his arms for emphasis. The Baroness turned her head and rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming. "I just recently met with those infernal twins. They have still not completed the Australian power station needed for Operation Constrictor. They had all sorts of excuses. Cobra Commander is too focused on defeating the Joes to truly keep Tomax and Xamot in line. Cobra Commander should have hired me to construct the power stations."

"It may be for the best," the Baroness tried to sound sympathetic and reasonable as she followed his lead across the room. "Mindbender took the brunt of the commander's displeasure for delaying the mission. Without his part of the plan, Cobra Commander may have placed the blame on your designs."

"True enough," Destro sighed. "And if Mindbender's scheme works, it will be good for all of us, but instead of going for the kill, they are playing foolish games with the Joes. My devices were designed with full knowledge of GI Joe's capabilities. Cobra Commander is losing sight of his goals again. Cobra wasn't created to defeat and shame GI Joe but to take over the world."

"Don't worry yourself over it," the Baroness said soothingly as she caressed his shoulder. For a man who wasn't a member of Cobra, a man who had his hands in so many other things, he concerned himself greatly with the workings of the organization. Sometimes he used the excuse that he had to ensure his future business by ensuring his customers continued to exist, but the Baroness knew that was a weak argument at best. She mused to herself that perhaps Destro was concerned for her sake. Then again, she had a feeling it was just as much about the relationship between Destro and Cobra Commander as it was about the relationship between Destro and herself. "Cobra Commander is well aware of his resources. I'm sure Tomax and Xamot will get you what you need soon."

"Yes, yes, they claim that they have a new supplier. Given the looks on their faces, I am wary of just what that means."

#-#-#-#-#

When the hangar's technical crew gave clearance, Cover Girl, Scarlett, Wild Bill and Zap approached the transports that had just returned from the Texas mission. They were followed by some of the more senior greenshirts and infirmary staff that had been left on base. There was plenty to be done in breaking down a mission, especially because many of the mission participants weren't in any condition to help out.

"They should have just sent me down there a couple days ago," said Cover Girl. She was walking a bit faster than normal in anticipation of surveying the damage done to the vehicles. "I could have told them what was salvageable and what could be scrapped. It might have saved them some effort."

"I don't think they expected they would be staying an extra couple of days Cover Girl," said Wild Bill. "By the time they realized, they had other things to worry about. It must've been overlooked."

"It has to be hauled back either way," said Scarlett. "It's a security issue."

"That much steel has to be worth something to Uncle Sam too," added Zap.

"I know, but it's a lot easier to handle something declared scrap than something that's supposed to remain fixable," said Cover Girl.

"I see your point," said Scarlett. Some of the greenshirts from the mission were gingerly moving a severely damaged VAMP out of their transport.

"We're going to be very busy down in the motorpool," Cover Girl said resignedly as she watched similar scenes unfold throughout the hangar. She bid Wild Bill and the others adieu and began to direct half of the greenshirts they had brought along to follow her lead as she began to triage the unloaded vehicles.

The infirmary staff quickly spotted the transport that the medics and injured had come home in and began making their way over. Wounded greenshirts who could walk were filtering out own their own while wounded Cobra agents were being handled delicately by a light guard. Doc was probably still directing things from inside the plane.

"I'll take the rest of the greenshirts and get to unloading the small stuff," said Zap. He knew that Wild Bill needed to speak with Flint and that Scarlett was anxious to see her friends in one piece.

"Thanks Zap," Scarlett smiled. "Small stuff" wasn't exactly small. There were crates of weapons, rations and other supplies that needed to be taken care of.

Wild Bill and Scarlett caught up to Flint and Lady Jaye as they were descending from their transport. Both looked notably tired from both the battle and the days following spent cleaning up. Though worn out, there was something undeniably charismatic about Flint. He appeared both in command of the situation yet easily approachable at the same time.

"Welcome back pardners," said Wild Bill as he came to a stop just short of the transport ramp. Scarlett waved, offering a weak smile.

"Something tells me you're not here just to welcome us back," Flint said with a wry smile, looking Wild Bill square in the sunglasses.

"Don't mean that the sentiments not there though," Bill grinned. "But you're right, Duke wants to know the highlights pronto. Assuming nothing's pressing, that means you can have some down time before the debriefing."

"Is that so? And then why isn't he here?" Flint found himself casting a quick glance at Scarlett, who in turn was glancing away.

"He's taken it upon himself to fill in for Beach Head," said Wild Bill.

"Anything to keep out of the office huh?"

"He was pretty upset being sent home early."

"I don't doubt that," said Flint. "So who's been overseeing things?"

"Oh he does that just fine as well," said Wild Bill. "Though Cutter and I have been handling the little things. But anyway, about those highlights..."

"Right, right. Well, I don't think there's much in terms of show stoppers," said Flint. "We have quite a few Cobra agents to send off to Blackwater with Zartan, but they're mostly small fry."

"Zartan's not being sent to Blackwater," Scarlett interrupted. "Not this time. We're holding him here. Duke worked out all the details with the higher ups."

"I wish I could have seen the smug look wiped off of Zartan's face when Duke informed him," said Wild Bill. "Apparently he had laughed off the idea of questioning, expecting to be busted out of prison within days."

"Been able to get anything out of him since?" asked Lady Jaye.

"Not that I've heard," Scarlett frowned bitterly. "But it's to be expected. If we can hold him until trial this time, it will be progress. Did you find out anything from your captives?"

"The grunts were kept in the dark as usual," said Lady Jaye. "We did pick up one guy who appeared to be running the operation, but he's more tight-lipped than your average snake. He won't even bother taunting us. He's paranoid about every scrap of information, no matter how inconsequential. We've actually gotten more from the standard troops than him."

"Does he have a name?" asked Scarlett.

"Yeah, not that he would tell us. The regular Cobra agents call him Professor Plum," said Lady Jaye. "Hopefully I can dig up a real name in the next few days."

"I see Cobra's reached a new low in code names," Wild Bill chuckled. "So no luck from the personnel, any from the Cobra tech?"

"We got their ultrasonic weapon. I'm looking forward to taking it apart. No luck on the synthoids though," Short-Fuze descended from the transport, followed by Flash. His frustration was clear. "This was our best bet at unlocking the secrets of Cobra's synthoids but Professor Plum did a fine job of destroying the equipment. Got the jamming equipment while he was at it too."

"Aw it's not so bad Short-Fuze," said Flash. "I think we confirmed a few things that had only been theories and got plenty of circumstantial information to help us guess at the gaps. Plus, with the ultrasonic weapon, I think we did okay."

"Between that and the gift Zartan left behind, you'll have plenty to keep you occupied, that's for sure," said Scarlett.

"Indeed," said Flash. He nodded in Short-Fuze's direction and the two began to move away from Wild Bill and the others. "Now let's go see about getting that ultrasonic device unloaded."

"Is there anything else?" asked Wild Bill.

"I think that's it," said Flint.

"Well why don't you two go rest up then," said Wild Bill. "We can handle things here."

"Nah, I better wrap this up myself. Thanks though. Any help would certainly be appreciated," said Flint. He turned to Lady Jaye. "You can if you want to though. It's certainly tempting."

"No, count me in too," Lady Jaye offered with a tired smile. "Things will go faster with the two of us."

Wild Bill watched Flint and Lady Jaye return to directing the break down of the mission. He was about to leave to catch up with Duke when he noticed Timber running up to him and Scarlett. Stalker and Snake Eyes were following behind at a leisurely pace. Wild Bill knelt down and started scratching Timber behind the ears. He was such a good dog, well wolf, but dog enough in Bill's eyes.

"Hey there Timber," said Wild Bill. "I heard you got a little spooked by all the noises those Cobra baddies were broadcasting."

Timber continued to enjoy Wild Bill's attention, not responding to his words. Scarlett jogged to meet Snake Eyes and Stalker on their way over.

"Snake Eyes! Stalker! How are you?" Scarlett caught up to them and gave Snake Eyes a hug. Snake Eyes returned her embrace, squeezing her tightly. It didn't feel like a hug so much as someone hanging on for dear life. Scarlett's eyes widened and her face fell. "Snake Eyes, what's wrong?"

Snake Eyes let go of Scarlett, making no other communicative gestures. He proceeded to walk towards the exit to the hangar, his head downturned. He shifted his injured shoulder slightly, having strained the stitches. Timber broke away from Wild Bill, letting out a quiet whimper and following his master.

"Snake Eyes?" Scarlett called again, mostly to herself. She continued to stare at Snake Eyes' back as he walked away. "What's with him?"

"Storm Shadow," Stalker stated simply as he took a step forward to stand next to Scarlett.

"Oh."

The two stood and watched for another moment before Scarlett spoke again. "So, how are you? How's the injury?"

"Annoying but I've had worse," said Stalker. "I'm pretty sure the desk jockeying I'm going to have to be doing will get more annoying than the rib pain real fast."

"At least it will mean more healing," said Scarlett.

"I guess so," said Stalker. "How about you? You look a little tired."

"I'm okay. I went up a weight class in PT this morning. I'm really feeling it this time," Scarlett replied.

"You think Beach Head's schedule for you needs adjustment?" asked Stalker.

"Nah, I probably just had a bad morning."

"Well, don't injure yourself."

"I won't."

During Stalker and Scarlett's brief conversation, Wild Bill had gotten up off the floor and walked over to join them. "Howdy Stalker. Good to be seeing you in the flesh."

"Likewise," said Stalker. "How are things on the base?"

"Things have been hopping here, what with so many people gone and so much to do," replied Wild Bill. "Of course, it's nothing compared to what you've been doing out in the field."

"It's all part of a team effort," said Stalker. "Those in the field need those back at headquarters. We were in a tight spot when we lost contact."

"Well that's a right good attitude to have about it," said Wild Bill with a grin. "Especially because it seems like you're going to be stuck here until those ribs heal."

"Yeah, you don't need to remind me."

"Well rest up and we'll catch up more later," said Wild Bill. "I've got to let Duke know you're back."

The three Joes parted ways – Wild Bill to the obstacle course, Stalker to his quarters, and Scarlett stayed to help with the unloading. Cover Girl was overseeing the vehicles. Zap was doing likewise with the aircraft. Doc was directing the injured, coordinating with Gung Ho who had charged himself with the Cobra prisoners. Roadblock was handling the munition, ration and supply crates. Flint was technically managing it all, but the Joes mostly had it covered, so when his direct attention wasn't needed he found himself, with Lady Jaye's help, directing the greenshirts and assisting Roadblock with the crates.

#-#-#-#-#

Airtight, Barbecue, Mutt, Junkyard and Tripwire walked down the busy Manhattan streets. They had taken to a routine of meeting up daily in the busiest of areas. At first it was so that they could report on their progress and so they would have plenty of extra eyes for the crowded borough. However, it had evolved into more of a social meeting fairly quickly.

There was little that the four Joes (and Junkyard) could do. New York City was just too big and intelligence field work wasn't their specialty. Airtight surmised that they had really been sent to the city so that they would be there should the unthinkable happen. There would be no transit time and they would have already familiarized themselves with the area. If something occurred elsewhere, they could easily be pulled back. Uncle Sam rather not have idle employees however, so while they were waiting, they might as well pitch in on the search. The Joe team had a penchant for stumbling upon Cobra's plots.

Most days, they split up and explored different areas individually, meeting only for lunch. They had considered taking different shifts, especially so they could have an eye on the Extensive Enterprises building every hour of the day, but Duke had let them know it was unnecessary. The Joes already had intelligence agents watching the Extensive Enterprise headquarters.

Airtight acted as the de facto leader of the mission. It wasn't entirely intentional or official, just another thing that had evolved out of the situation. Mutt wasn't a take charge kind of guy when it came to people and not dogs. Barbecue was the same but for a different reason. He was so much an affable 'one of the guys' that he rarely put his foot down about anything. Tripwire was extremely awkward in all matters not involving explosives. Airtight never considered himself a business-like guy, but he liked to have things ordered and thus found himself filling the role.

The excited barking of Junkyard interrupted Airtight's thoughts.

"No again Junk!" Mutt admonished the dog, trying to lead him away from the hot dog vendor that had attracted his attention. "Come on boy, you know better than that."

Barbecue chuckled. "It seems ol' Junkyard is enjoying his undercover role."

"A little too well if you ask me," Mutt grumbled.

"Well if someone was a little better at playing the blind man, someone wouldn't have this little predicament on his hands." Barbecue grinned. He bent down and began to scratch Junkyard behind the ears. "However, someone else is going to get spoiled by Lady Jaye when she hears what a good undercover agent he's been, hasn't he?"

Junkyard answered positively and followed the Joes down the sidewalk, away from the hotdog cart.

It wasn't long before Tripwire managed to run into another pedestrian. "Sorry about that!" he called after the lady. He scratched the back of his head and frowned slightly when the woman didn't turn around or acknowledge him.

"Typical New Yorker. No common courtesy," Barbecue tsked. Airtight groaned inwardly, knowing a rant was coming. Barbecue continued. "You're from Connecticut Airtight, you know what I'm talking about right?"

"Actually, we have more of a problem with Massho – " Airtight started mumbling under his breath but thought better of it. Barbecue was all smiles usually, but took the rivalry between Boston and New York seriously.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing," said Airtight. "Anyway, come on Barbecue, you're going to run into a few rude folks anywhere. Most people here are just minding their own business."

"Man I hate this city," Barbecue said, pretty much ignoring Airtight's words. "Duke should have sent some people who are actually from New York, like Zap or someone."

"Well, I'm pretty much from around here," offered Mutt. The canine specialist was raised in northern New Jersey.

"Somehow I don't think the New Yorkers would see it that way," said Barbecue. He paused before coming to a realization and speaking again. "Mutt, you're not a Yankees fan are you?"

"No, Mets if anything," Mutt said.

"That's good," said Barbecue. "People just like the Yankees because they buy their way to a winning season. It's easy to like a team that wins all the time. True fans stick by their team whatever the record."

Airtight counted his blessings. It seemed that Barbecue was ending on a note of Red Sox pride instead of continuing on a long diatribe against the Yankees. Airtight had heard that one way too many times.

"Waaah." Tripwire was once again falling over his own two feet. Airtight was thankful that it wasn't another collision with a civilian, though he had to agree with Barbecue that the last time wasn't Tripwire's fault. The pedestrian was in a rush and obviously didn't care who she bumped shoulders with. However, Airtight wasn't going to feed Barbecue's indignation with the city.

At least Tripwire didn't seem injured by the fall. He usually had his Joe uniform to protect himself, but the four of them were dressed more inconspicuously in casual wear. He lifted himself slighty with his hands and looked back at is feet as if he expected to find a bump in the sidewalk or an errant banana peel. Seeing nothing, he continued to push himself up off the ground.

Turning his head back around to view what was in front of him, Tripwire noticed a tabloid newspaper on the ground, its pages opened like an upside down book. Once he got to his knees, he brushed off the small grains of rock and dirt that had embedded into his palms on impact and picked up the newspaper.

"What's that ya got there?" asked Mutt as Tripwire got to his feet.

"The paper," Tripwire replied as he began to flip through the pages. "Seems to be in perfectly fine condition too."

Barbecue tsked. He had seen quite a few papers just dropped in the streets that day. "Littering."

"Wait, is that the Post?" Airtight turned his head to look at the cover. "Don't read that, it'll rot your brain."

"It doesn't seem so bad," Tripwire said, his head still in the tabloid.

The group continued walking. Despite not looking up while he read, Tripwire managed not to fall or run into anyone. Suddenly, he stopped walking and looked up from the paper.

"Whoa, what is it Tripwire?" asked Barbecue as he nearly ran into his fellow Joe.

"I need to go buy something," Tripwire said blankly. He didn't even turn his head to look at Barbecue as he shoved the tabloid haphazardly at the Joe firefighter. Barbecue almost dropped it. Tripwire started jogging down the street.

"Buy what?" Airtight called after him. Mutt and Barbecue looked at him confusedly. Airtight only shrugged in response.

"A Yankees pennant!" Tripwire called back.

"What? The season's long over anyway," Barbecue grumbled to himself. He looked down at the crinkled paper, opening it again to whatever Tripwire had been reading. He looked up. "You know, I think I'm going to get one too."

Barbecue abruptly handed the tabloid to Mutt and started to dash after Tripwire. Mutt furrowed his brow and then turned his head down towards the paper.

"Don't!" Airtight shouted. He snatched the Post from Mutt, being careful to keep a handkerchief between the paper and his bare hand. He sealed it in a plastic bag. "I'm going to run some tests on this back at the room. You go collect those two bozos and make sure they don't get into any trouble."

"Uh, right," said Mutt.

Airtight turned to make eye contact with Junkyard. "I'm counting on you too."

Junkyard barked in response. He could tell something serious was up.

Mutt and Junkyard ran in the same direction as Tripwire and Barbecue. Mutt had lost visual contact with the two oddly-acting Joes in the normal hustle bustle of the city. However, it didn't take him long to get a pretty good idea where his lost compatriots might have run off to. A sizable crowd had formed further down the street, all the people facing in one direction, as if there was some sort of table or booth in front of the crowd. The people were packed pretty tightly, probably shoving against each other somewhat, but otherwise looking orderly.

"Think we found them, ol' pal?" said Mutt.

Junkyard agreed with a yelp.

Surveying the crowd from afar, Mutt was unable to pick out Barbecue and Tripwire but had little doubt they were there. He watched civilians near the front of the crowd leave with small pennants in Yankees colors. They were on sticks, like a flag. The people seemed to be acting normally, so Mutt decided it was best to wait for the two missing Joes to exit the crowd. He didn't want to attract attention by dragging them away. He just hoped the pennants themselves weren't dangerous.

After waiting fifteen minutes, Mutt saw Barbecue and Tripwire emerge from the crowd, pennants in hand. Mutt waited until they were a block away from the crowd before making contact with them. They appeared to be wandering down the sidewalk with no real destination. Both were waving their Yankees pennants with happy vacant grins.

Mutt stepped in front of the two Joes. "Alright you two, time to return to the hotel."

Junkyard circled behind Barbecue and Tripwire as Mutt spoke.

"Huh? It's not time yet. The afternoon is still young," said Barbecue. He smiled and waved his pennant more rapidly.

Mutt wasn't quite sure what he expected in response, but it wasn't that. At least they seemed easy enough to handle. Still, both he and Junkyard remained on guard. "We're having a special meeting."

"Oh? Is that so? I didn't hear about it." Barbecue's expression continued to be joyful. Tripwire remained pleasantly amused with his own pennant.

"Just heard about it myself," Mutt improvised. "Come on, Airtight's waiting for us."

Mutt made a motion with his hand indicating that the two Joes should go ahead of him. He wanted to keep an eye on them. Junkyard followed closely alongside of Barbecue and Tripwire. They kept a leisurely, safe pace back to the hotel.

Airtight greeted them at the door to his and Tripwire's hotel room. He had changed into his Joe uniform. There was some equipment set up on the desk, but it looked like whatever he was working on, he had completed. He motioned Barbecue and Tripwire to take a seat on one of the beds and then pulled Mutt aside.

"What happened?" Airtight asked. He and Mutt were standing by the windows, looking out. Junkyard stayed with the other two Joes, watching them carefully.

"Junk and I found a bunch of people crowding around further down the street. We waited a bit and they came out with those little flags. They've been like that ever since," said Mutt. He glanced towards the bed. Barbecue and Tripwire were still enthralled with their pennants. "I told them we were having a meeting. They came without any trouble."

Airtight nodded, taking in Mutt's words. Mutt continued, "So, did you find anything?"

"The paper came up perfectly normal on any tests I could run here," said Airtight. He frowned. "I'm going to have to send it back to headquarters and let the boys in the lab see if they can find anything. We'll see if Doc has any ideas too."

"And what about them?" Mutt asked, nodding his head toward Barbecue and Tripwire.

"We better send them back too. They might be fine now, but we don't know exactly what we're dealing with," said Airtight. "Contact HQ and send for a pick up. Make sure they send enough support in case Barbecue or Tripwire do something strange during the flight. I'm going to go talk to those two."

Airtight walked over to the pennant-waving Joes and crouched down to their eye level. "How're you guys feeling?"

"Fine, Airtight," Barbecue gave Airtight a funny look.

"Yeah," added Tripwire. "Why are you and Mutt acting so weird? What's going on?"

"Well," Airtight paused, giving himself more time to think. "You two are being called back to base. We're not sure what's going on, but Mutt is getting the details right now from HQ."

"That's good. I can't wait to get out of this city," said Barbecue, still playing with the Yankees pennant.

"Right," said Airtight slowly. "Hey, can I borrow this?"

Airtight plucked the pennant out of Tripwire's hands. He figured that Tripwire was the less willful of the two. He took the pennant back to his desk and began to run tests on it similar to the ones he had run on the paper. Again, similar to the tabloid, he found nothing suspect.

#-#-#-#-#

Destro exited the Carob Method Fitness Center, somewhat more relaxed than when he had entered. He and the random passersby around him took little notice to the fact that the delivery people and staff members were still working on getting the center ready for opening day, though it was after hours, and most normal workers of that type would have gone home as per union rules. Keeping his trenchcoat collar up and his fedora held close to his head, Destro spent no time getting into the car that was waiting for him and taking off.

From a building diagonally across the street, Alpine looked on. He had been watching the strange working hours of the Carob Method employees for quite some time, but seeing Destro was the clincher he needed to be sure that Carob Method was a Cobra front. He immediately contacted headquarters.


	11. Quiet Preparations

Lady Jaye lay awake, her head planted on Flint's chest, his arms wrapped comfortably around her as they both rested upon the top covers of his bed, still dressed in their uniforms. She wasn't sure if her beau was awake or not, his breathing was slow and steady and his eyes were closed. It didn't particularly matter. Either way she felt content with things being just the way they were.

They both were in sore need of the break. Lady Jaye hoped it could last long but was sure something would crop up, especially with how busy things remained around the base. The last mission had been a doozy. The past few days had been consumed by breaking down the mission and the dismal debriefing. Lady Jaye had accompanied Flint to the evening before on the way to visit all the greenshirts who were still in the infirmary. While they were no longer exerting themselves as much physically, the mental stress wore on. Lady Jaye was thankful to finally have some true down time.

Letting her eyes wander, Lady Jaye took inventory of Flint's quarters. They were much like her own – a wall of a kitchen, a bathroom just big enough to hold everything it needed, a desk, a couch and of course the bed they were in, shoved into a little alcove formed by the bathroom. She imagined it to be like a studio flat in a city somewhere.

It was the little touches that really differentiated the rooms. Flint's bookshelf was balanced by both military manuals and favorite pieces of literature. Rather than seeking the worn first editions like many a connoisseur, he preferred keeping newer editions that both looked well cared-for and were likely to include the most complete collection of the text available. In front of one row of books was a scale model of his car, painted in the same shade of red as the real one. Over the couch was slung a woolen Afghan, likely crocheted by his grandmother.

There were a few pictures of his family. One was in a simple silver frame on his nightstand. Another was on the end table next to his couch, this time in a wooden frame. The third, in a black plastic frame, resided on his desk. There weren't so many as to make one homesick but enough so to remind one that family was never too far away.

Only one framed picture of Lady Jaye herself was in the room. It was also on his nightstand. She didn't mind though, she was happy to move the relationship along nice and slowly. More would have been too intense. Still, her favorite picture was the one of herself, unframed and attached to the otherwise bare refrigerator via magnet. Something about the simplistic and unplanned act of sticking the photograph to the fridge without much thought or planning, just because he liked it and wanted it up, made her smile.

Lady Jaye's reverie was interrupted by a knock at the door. She frowned. Somehow, she knew it wasn't going to be a social call. Flint woke up as she lifted her head. She untangled herself from his arms and got up off of the bed. As she headed towards the door, he was already sitting up and stretching out his neck and shoulders.

"Shall I answer it?" she asked.

"Go ahead."

Lady Jaye opened the door to find Duke. He was awkward as always upon finding her answering the door to Flint's room. Jaye couldn't quite understand it. It wasn't like he had caught her wearing a bathrobe or something more incriminating.

"Oh, um, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Duke said sheepishly.

"Not at all. Please come in," said Lady Jaye. "So what brings you here?"

"Sadly, business," Duke admitted. He waved to Flint as he entered the common area and closed the door. "I have something for the both of you actually."

#-#-#-#-#

Airtight sat at the desk of his hotel room, a portable communications setup was before him. Mutt, whose room the two Joes had consolidated into after Tripwire and Barbecue's abrupt departure, stood a ways behind him, leaning against the windows and occasionally looking over at the communications screen, waiting for headquarters to connect. A few days had passed without word other than the safe arrival of their teammates. Airtight was eager to hear what those on base had discovered.

The Joes didn't have to wait long before Duke's familiar face appeared before them. "Hello Airtight, Mutt," he started. He heard a familiar sounding bark in the background. "You too Junkyard. Let me start off by saying that Barbecue and Tripwire are doing fine. We will be sending you reinforcements soon as well as a new objective, but before we do, let me have Doc tell you what he told me."

Duke moved off screen and was replaced by Doc. Doc wasted no time in beginning his explanation. "Like Duke said, Barbecue and Tripwire both checked out fine physically. Also, both the newspaper and the pennants came up clean in the tests run by Airtight's and my respective teams. That's when I referred this case over to a colleague and friend of mine at Fort Bragg. Let me introduce you to Dr. Kenneth Rich."

A fair-haired officer joined Doc on the screen. "Nice to meet you," Dr. Rich offered. "It took a little while, but we examined the newspaper and determined that this was the work of subliminal messages. Upon viewing one of the advertisements in the paper, the reader would be compelled to buy one of those pennants if they were anywhere near the booth."

"What's interesting about this case," continued Dr. Rich, "is that the image makes use of half-toning – the way images are printed in newspaper format. The original image wouldn't have this effect, but when a person sees the image made up of dots in the way that a standard newspaper does, his brain gets the subliminal message, even though he may not even consciously notice the half-toning."

"From both de-constructing the image and extensively interviewing the Joes Barbecue and Tripwire, we determined that the only message was to buy the harmless pennants. Your friends are fine," added Dr. Rich.

"But why go through all that trouble just to sell a few pennants?" asked Mutt. He was looking into the communications screen over Airtight's shoulder.

"This was just a test run," Airtight said quickly. "Cobra needed to prove that it could work and iron out the bugs."

"That was our conclusion too," said Duke, joining Doc and Dr. Rich on the screen. "We traced both the company that ran the ad and the one selling the pennants. We followed the trail of ownership and both lead back to Extensive Enterprises."

"They likely wanted real world data on how many people would be immune to this kind of subliminal message. They may have also been testing the duration of the message's effectiveness. They probably thought that a non-obtrusive command like buying the home team's pennant would go unnoticed," said Dr. Rich.

"I guess, for once, it's a good thing that Barbecue is such a die-hard Red Sox fan," said Airtight.

"We suspect the real attack will be on a national level," said Duke. "Any of the national newspapers out of New York are the most likely methods of delivery. It is imperative that we prevent Cobra from going to press with this. Flint will be meeting up with you within the next 24 hours to begin the hunt. He'll have Cutter, Zap and Thunder with him."

"Also, you'll have these," said Short-Fuze as he joined the others. He was holding a small device, similar in size and shape to a voltmeter. "We developed them in cooperation with Dr. Rich's team. They will interpret any photographic images in their half-toned form and detect any subliminal messages similar to the ones found in the Post. Safe images should just read static."

"Don't limit yourselves to advertisements either," said Duke. "Cobra may be aiming for front page photographs to reach the most people possible. Newspaper circulation tends to run highest on Sunday, but Cobra may be planning for any day of the week."

"They might do another test too," Short-Fuze suggested.

"Not after their last one worked so well," said Mutt. "Cobra Commander isn't one much for patience."

Duke nodded. "But if in the off chance that happens, see if you can follow the trail back to our Cobra friends. Our priority is to stop whatever Cobra is planning, but I wouldn't mind getting mind hands on those snakes."

"Will do," said Airtight.

"Good luck you guys. We'll be in contact if we find out anything new."

#-#-#-#-#

"Whoooaaaoooooh!" Tripwire's voice echoed through the main hallway of Block D. Shipwreck shook his head, combining Tripwire, a mop, and slippery-when-wet floors was not a good idea. Both Barbecue and Shipwreck cringed when they heard the tell-tale sound of Tripwire crashing into a wall.

"It's a wonder that I'm the injured one," said Shipwreck, leaning on the top of his mop handle. He treated his burned foot gingerly.

"I'm sure Tripwire learned how to crash and fall at an early age," said Barbecue. "Maybe it would have been safer for the rest of us to have given him a sponge instead."

"Somehow, I doubt it would help," said Shipwreck. "At least we make decent progress with the mops. Scarlett's been relegated to the sponge. She's barely getting anywhere."

"Why couldn't we be on cleaning duty with her?" asked Barbecue. "In fact, why did we end up with cleaning duty anyway? We couldn't control our reaction to the subliminal messages. It's not exactly fair."

"Yeah well, the same thing happened to Breaker, Footloose and me over that Cold Slither business. KP duty for a month!" grumbled Shipwreck.

"Well, I for one think we were punished enough just being forced to buy Yankees pennants," said Barbecue. "Yankees pennants! With my own money even!"

"Cobra's evil knows no bounds," Shipwreck responded sarcastically.

The three continued to mop in silence until Shipwreck started unrolling his shirt sleeves. "Someone should tell Duke to turn up the furnace, it's getting cold these days."

Tripwire looked up from his mopping. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

#-#-#-#-#

"Hey! Don't forget to add the detergent!" Cover Girl reminded Scarlett as she was about to start a load of laundry going. It was the first time in weeks that the Joe women had been able to gather to do laundry simultaneously. Cover Girl was more than used to dealing with the heightened testosterone of the motor pool, but even she had been especially looking forward to the ladies' meeting.

"Oh, right," said Scarlett, snapping to attention. "Oops."

"Happens to me all the time too... especially with all of this extra stuff we have to wash," said Cover Girl. Behind the two women were large stacks of colorful aerobic wear. Hot pink leotards, neon orange sweatbands, electric blue off-the-shoulder shirts, purple legwarmers – everything that a young, well-off and fashionable gym-goer might wear in a variety of loud colors. "Jaye wants these clothes to look new, but not too new. Can't we get a greenshirt or something to do this?"

"Where is Jaye anyway?"

"She's out picking us up some non-mess grub. My treat. You never sit and eat with us in the mess anymore, I figured the three of us could at least one decent sit-down meal."

"Wow. Well, thank you Cover Girl. That was really thoughtful of you." Scarlett smiled. "I'll make it up to you."

"Don't worry about it," said Cover Girl, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand. She paused for a second. "Of course, knowing Jaye she probably got distracted by another sale and is bringing more hideous stuff like this back for us." Cover Girl held up a neon green and orange striped leotard.

"I heard that," Lady Jaye said as she walked into the laundry room, carrying a new bag of clothing, a bag of deli sandwiches and a quad cup holder. She hoisted the bag of clothing onto the sorting table, adding it to the workout gear still to be washed. "I'll have you know that's the latest style."

"At least I know we'll be found if we're lost at sea," Cover Girl quipped.

Lady Jaye rolled her eyes at Cover Girl and sat the bag of sandwiches down on one of the unused tables. "Come on, let's take a break and eat some lunch."

Scarlett and Cover Girl finished up what they were doing with their current loads and joined Lady Jaye who was setting up folding chairs around the table for them. Sandwiches and sodas were passed around and the Joe women sat down together for the first time in a month.

"Thanks for the sandwiches Cover Girl," Lady Jaye said between bites. "Now why can't the mess make a simple sandwich right?"

"Or at least let us make our own sandwiches during lunch time," said Scarlett.

"Too many cooks in the kitchen already spoiling the broth I suppose," said Cover Girl. She looked over at the neon rainbow of athletic wear sprawled across the neighboring table. "I'm going to be so glad when we're done with all this washing."

"No you're not." Jaye's expression was sheepish.

"Why?" Cover Girl asked slowly.

"Because then we have to dye your hair."

The color drained out of Cover Girl's face. "You're kidding."

"Sorry," said Lady Jaye. "We're going to be doing too much bouncing up and down to risk wigs. Extensions maybe, but we're really going to need dye."

"This is finally all my natural color, no dye at all. I wanted to grow it long again," Cover Girl sighed. Two years beforehand, she had lost a bet with Clutch. As were the terms, she had to dye and cut her hair like Farrah Fawcett's. Afterwards she lopped off the styled locks and began dying her hair back to its natural color. She thought the sexism had been bad when she was a redhead, but she was shocked to find out how people treated her as a blond.

"Military life is tough, isn't it?" Lady Jaye said dryly.

Cover Girl managed a guilty smile. "It's the little things that get you."

"So what's been keeping you away from the mess?" Cover Girl turned to Scarlett. "Other than the bad food."

"Eh, work to do," said Scarlett. "Plus, with so many field missions going on at once, I feel like the odd one out. Everyone is talking about how their latest mission went and I've been pushing paper and sponges. It makes me a little jealous too. I'm itching to get back out there."

"Well, if you want to take the bright orange leotards, that's fine by me." Cover Girl grinned mischievously. "Think we can pull the ol' switcheroo on Duke?"

"Probably, considering how much I've seen of him recently," Scarlett said under her breath. She looked over at the neon clothing and cringed a bit. "I probably shouldn't push my luck though, wouldn't want to risk a year of Beach Head's ladder treatment for fluorescent underpants."

Lady Jaye quietly sipped her soda through a straw. Her pupils shifted between Cover Girl and Scarlett. Normally she would pipe up in defense of her more highly developed fashion sense, but she seemed more interested in something else."Now that would be an interesting training exercise," she said half to herself.

"What was that?" Cover Girl didn't quite catch onto what Lady Jaye was talking about.

"Nothing... just talking to myself," Lady Jaye replied. She changed the subject. "Any luck getting information from Zartan?"

"Not that I've read," Scarlett replied.

"You haven't been participating in the questioning?"

"Nope," said Scarlett. "I guess Duke thought that might be too much fun."

"Well, you did seem to be getting along rather well with Zartan during that Gamesmaster thing," Lady Jaye teased.

"Yeah, well, we were on the same side – wait, what? How do you know about that? You were knee deep in pudding!"

"News travels fast. Gossip travels faster."

"It's true Red," said Cover Girl. "There's working together and there's working together a little too well. People took notice. You guys seemed to be having a good time even after the battle."

"We were talking about archery, that's all," Scarlett said defensively. "It just happens he knows a lot about compound bows. In fact, it was research. I put that in his file."

"Uh huh," said Cover Girl dismissively. "The way he was standing over you, it looked more like he was saying 'Hey baby, wanna spend the night at my swamp'?"

Cover Girl giggled. Lady Jaye couldn't help but respond, faking an especially high-pitched voice. "Oh Zartan! Let's hide from the sun together!"

Scarlett stuck out her tongue at Lady Jaye as the two other women laughed. "I don't see how there are rumors flying about me when we found you pudding-wrestling with the Baroness in a bikini – with Cobra Commander looking on, no less!"

Lady Jaye groaned. "For one thing, it was marshmallow fluff. But believe me, I had it just as bad – no worse. For weeks afterwards I kept finding skimpier and skimpier bikinis packed in my gear with notes telling me to be prepared for 'next time!'"

"Shipwreck," Cover Girl said and rolled her eyes.

"Bingo," Lady Jaye said dryly.

"How did you ever get him to stop?" asked Cover Girl.

"I pretty much blew my top at him when I found one in the mess, in front of everyone," said Lady Jaye. "Then the next day, Flint had a nice little chat with him about how much he's been enjoying all the new swimsuits. Then he gave him latrine duty."

Scarlett scrunched up her nose. "Latrine duty."

"Oh yeah, you've been doing that lately haven't you?"

"Not anymore." Scarlett smiled.

"How did you get Duke to let you out of that one?" Cover Girl asked incredulously.

"Let's just say I took my sweet time when the new drill instructor wanted to make use of the facilities," said Scarlett. "Of course, I told him not to mind me, that he should go right ahead."

"Oh dear," Cover Girl began to laugh. Lady Jaye developed a devilish grin.

"He came in and out several times. He paced back and forth. I just kept humming to myself," Scarlett continued.

"Why didn't he just go elsewhere on the base?" asked Cover Girl.

"Or in the bushes," Lady Jaye snuck in under her breath.

"I assume that's what he did," Scarlett said to Cover Girl.

"It doesn't surprise me that Beach Head is a creature of rigid habit though," said Lady Jaye.

"Anyway, the next morning, he informed me that I was off latrine duty," said Scarlett. "I guess he and Duke had a little chat."

"I'm going to have to try that one next time," said Cover Girl.

"It probably won't work forever though," said Lady Jaye. "I suspect we won't be getting out of too many latrine duties that way."

"I would do it just to get under Beach Head's skin," said Cover Girl. "He's too fun to tease."

"Whatever floats your boat," said Lady Jaye.

"So who else is coming on this mission?" Cover Girl asked after taking a couple more bites of her sandwich.

"Well, Alpine's already there," said Lady Jaye. "Our intel is thanks mostly to him. We'll be bringing Bazooka, Snake Eyes and Low Light with us."

"Who's Low Light?"

"He's one of the new guys, a sniper," said Scarlett.

"Oh yeah, I think I know who you're talking about. Real quiet guy, right?"

"That's the one."

"He and Snake Eyes will make quite a pair."

"They should at least balance out Alpine and Bazooka," said Lady Jaye. "At least, I hope they will."

"I'm just glad it's not Clutch or Shipwreck," said Cover Girl. "Especially given our disguises. Then again, some of these colors might repulse even them."

"It's hard to believe you used to be a fashion model," said Lady Jaye.

"Emphasis on the used to be," said Cover Girl. "And while I had to wear a lot hideous things, at least they weren't in blinding colors."

"You'll get used to them," said Lady Jaye. "After all, we still have a lot more to wash."

#-#-#-#-#

Spirit looked to the skies as he made his way through the jungle, anticipating Freedom's return. The eagle kept him in contact with the other Joes while he followed the Cobra troops through the Amazon rain forest.

Tracking the Cobra forces was easy. They did little to cover their trail and they moved slowly. Spirit knew Major Bludd probably had the most experience in the setting over all other Cobra leaders as the rest seldom let their hands get dirty. For several days he had been uncertain as to why Bludd was behaving in such a sloppy manner. Spirit had been wary of a trap, but finally let himself get close enough to see. While Major Bludd was indeed present, he seemed to be letting another agent run the show – a man Spirit had never seen before, wearing khakis with a golden Cobra insignia.

Spirit did not allow himself to get close enough to overhear the Cobra agents conversing. While their numbers were not large, they were still too many for him to take on by himself and that didn't take into account their mechanized assistance. Instead, Spirit spent his extra time scouting ahead. He needed to find out where Cobra was heading so that his teammates would have time to prepare before they and their robots arrived.

It was fortunate that Cobra was moving so slowly, it gave the others time to relocate the displaced villagers. Spirit held Recondo's skills in this matter in high regard. The man was sensitive to the cultural differences of the indigenous people and swiftly determined enough of their language, both verbal and not, to minimally communicate.

Recondo's sense of the wilderness was very different than Spirit's own. There was something about it that would always be from the outside looking in. Recondo was unaware of the whispers of his imperialistic forefathers in his actions. As such, Recondo would always be an astute observer, a scientist, a guest – never easing into home with the environment the same way Spirit did. It was an uneasy difference, but Spirit appreciated Recondo's efforts and reminded himself that battling Cobra took all types.

Spirit shifted his full attentions to his surroundings when he saw the tell-tale signs of a nearby village. He went only so far as to confirm the location. He would defer the planning of contact with the residents to Recondo. Spirit knew he would need to continue to watch the Cobra group and make sure their course did not change.

It was on his way back towards the Major Bludd's group that Spirit caught sight of Freedom. He called to the bird, making a sound that would blend into the surroundings to all but the most well-trained ears. Freedom did not take long to find him.

"I'm sorry to make you do carrier pigeon duty, my friend," Spirit said softly as he jotted down a brief message for his teammates.

Freedom only curiously eyed the small piece of paper from his perch atop Spirit's shoulder.

Spirit rolled up the note and slipped it into the eagle's holster. He watched as the majestic bird took to the skies again and disappeared over the tree tops.


	12. Mustard Flustered

Beach Head blinked as a bead of sweat dropped from his brow and nearly into his eye. It was hot and the air was thick with water vapor. Sometimes he enjoyed it, seeing it as a mix of steam bath and good old rugged patrolling. Sometimes it just felt miserable. It was starting to lean towards the latter, mostly because Beach Head was getting bored of wandering through the rain forest without danger or objective. Even he had to chastise himself for getting complacent, which led him to worry about how the others were doing.

Recondo would be fine for sure. He was like a kid in a candy shop in the Amazon. Lifeline and Ripcord seemed like dutiful types, but Beach Head wouldn't be surprised if the trekking about had dulled their senses. Rock n' Roll was the most laid back of the bunch, but he seemed to operate on a totally different wavelength than what Beach Head was used to. The Joes on a whole operated differently than Beach Head expected. It was going to take some experimentation to lead effectively, but Beach Head put trust into his own skills and experiences. Furthermore, just because they were Joes didn't mean they didn't need a good kick in the butt like any other soldier.

Beach Head was glad to finally be rid of the villagers, at least. They had found a friendly neighboring settlement where they were willing to stay. Marshalling a bunch of civilians through rough terrain with minimal communication had been a real headache, even if they were more used to the area than the Joes. Beach Head rolled his eyes remembering Recondo's lecture on how many languages existed in places like these and how rapidly they were dying out and how sad that was from an anthropological standpoint. In theory, Beach Head knew what Recondo was saying, but at the time he felt no heartbreak.

A familiar bird screech brought Beach Head's gaze to the tree tops. He didn't have much expertise when it came to species details, but he had told himself to remember and listen for the sound. "Is that Spirit's – "

"Yeah, that's Freedom. He's probably spotted us by now," said Recondo.

The eagle was quickly upon them. This unnerved Beach Head. He was unsure how to react and thus chose not to, Freedom taking up residence on his shoulder. He just hoped he maintained some semblance of dignity through the entire ordeal.

Sending sensitive intelligence via bird seemed strange and archaic, but Beach Head couldn't come up with a better solution considering their current circumstances. The terrain they faced interfered with their available technological equivalents. Furthermore, the rest of the team seemed to have more faith in the bird. That was also somewhat unnerving.

Beach Head took no time in retrieving the note Freedom was carrying. He wanted to take care of it before Recondo offered to help. He appreciated the initiative but he wanted to show that he knew what he was doing - that he was in control. He preferred to lead better-defined and more planned out missions. It was intensely satisfying to see a mission go according to plan. It was a highly respected and commended skill as well. However, he was certain what got him into GI Joe was not just that, monkeys could do that if they put the time into it. He was a quick thinker and had a fine record of recovering missions that hadn't gone according to plan. That though was just a process of calmly and methodically applying ideas and skills to situations based on the information and resources available. Still, it made Beach Head uneasy, concerned that their might come a time when he might not be able to come up with a viable solution. That was something to ponder during idle times though, it would be wasteful to do so during a mission. Instead, he focused on concentrating all the more on his surroundings.

"It looks like Cobra's headed for another village," said Beach Head after having read the note. It was not good news. It would have been ideal had they been able to handle Cobra and their new toys before any more civilians were involved, but it was not to be. Beach Head had been considering their options given the situation during their trek. "We need to get there first, evacuate the inhabitants, and be ready and waiting for them when they get there."

"How much time do we have?" asked Recondo.

"Spirit guesses a couple days at most," said Beach Head. "We'll need to move quickly."

Beach Head shared the coordinates with Recondo. The group's detour to find a new home for the refugees from the first village had fortunately not taken them too far. It wasn't difficult to plan a route that would get them to the new village within half a day. After Beach Head had finished composing a return message and sending Freedom on his way, the group of Joes started heading in their new direction.

Following a few hours of walking in mostly silence, Ripcord spoke up. "How are we going to stop those things?" He didn't need to specify what he was talking about. Everyone understood he meant the automated shooters that the group had encountered when they first arrived.

"We'll use what we have around us," Beach Head said evenly as he continued to march forward, not looking back at Ripcord. "They got the jump on us last time, but this time we'll be prepared. Those Cobra machines have those wide treads. They're stabilizing sure, but we'll use those against them anyway. Even if they have decent suspension, which I doubt Cobra is willing to afford, they're still small. If we put enough crud in their way – rocks, logs, branches – whatever we can find, we can halt their advance."

"That won't be all though, we'll use vines to create a fence, like Spirit and Rock n' Roll did before. Those things weren't well equipped to deal with that last time. As long as we don't make them too regular, they'll blend into the jungle at a distance," Beach Head continued. "Then, once we have them caught, we can pelt them from all sides, even from above."

Rock n' Roll chuckled. "We'll be just like the Ewoks."

"The what?" asked Beach Head.

"The Ewoks, you know, from Star Wars."

Beach Head rolled his eyes. "Do I look like I have time to be wasting at movie theaters?"

"The third installment was the biggest film of last year!"

"That guy you joined us with, Sci-fi, he says he's seen each one of the movies over 50 times," said Ripcord.

"I'm surprised he didn't just recite the whole trilogy for you on the helicopter ride in," said Rock n' Roll.

"He can," added Ripcord.

"He makes for one ugly Leia though," said Rock n' Roll. He paused. "I bet Sci-fi will request a weekend pass when the rest of the movies hit theaters."

Beach Head simply grunted in response, long bored of the conversation.

"Aw come on Beach, you can't spend all your free time on PT," said Rock n' Roll. He dropped his light-hearted and confident tone. "Er, can you?"

Beach Head turned, grinning exaggeratedly through his mask. "Just be happy I'm not making us all lug every useful-looking rock we find along the way all the way to the village." He faced forward again. He didn't need to wait to see their eyes go wide at the thought.

There wasn't any real intention of having the group carry rocks. Beach Head was already concerned with possible fatigue issues that would undoubtedly come into play given the short amount of time they had to set up his plan. On a whole, Beach Head felt his fellow Joes relied too much on their innate gifts, and not enough on their sweat. They kept in good shape, but that monstrous talent allowed them to get away without pushing themselves to their limits. Hopefully, it wouldn't be an issue this time around. The Cobra troops might not be at peak form either, having been trekking through the rain forest for weeks, but their machines wouldn't have that problem.

Recondo stepped up next to Beach Head. He spoke softly enough that his words wouldn't necessarily carry backwards to Rock n' Roll, Ripcord and Lifeline. "I'm not sure we're going to be able to evacuate the village. It's one thing to convince them to go with you when they're being fired upon. It's a whole different ballgame when things are seemingly peaceful. They aren't going to trust outsiders. It would take me longer than a couple days to even get some of them to come with me so I could show them that Cobra is on their way."

Beach Head made a quick, sharp nod. He thought for a moment and then began speaking. "We'll have to set our trap as far from the village as we think possible, based on what we know from last time. Spirit can help with that. I've told him to meet us south of the site. You'll have to be ready to run interference when the bullets start flying."

"Right."

The rest of the hike was taken up with a rampant Star Wars discussion, mostly led by Rock n' Roll, though even Lifeline had some input. Beach Head didn't particularly mind. They spent enough time relating it back to their plans and morale seemed high. Sometimes, Recondo would point out some plant or other rain forest feature of interest. Beach Head made stronger mental notes of those.

Spirit was waiting when Beach Head's group reached the rendezvous point. While the others rested, Beach Head and Spirit discussed the Joes' plan with respect to the surroundings of the settlement and the advance of Cobra's team. As Beach Head had suspected, despite having just heard their ideas, Spirit had no trouble making suggestions as to viable sites.

Based on the previous Cobra altercation, Spirit had narrowed down their base of operations to three areas. The Joes would be taking a small gamble, but Spirit was confident in which one they would be using. He was also able to give an estimation of how much time they would have once they could tell for sure. Beach Head made the decision to focus their effort on Spirit's instincts, with what back up they could in case Cobra's plans differed.

There was a natural bottleneck of vegetation approaching the village from the perspective of Cobra's machines. This removed a bit of the pressure from their time table. However, it was a bit closer to the village than Beach Head would have liked. The Joes would have to be careful not to raise the ire of the people of the settlement. He would have to rely on Recondo to keep things calm throughout the build.

The Joes were more refreshed than Beach Head expected once he roused them from their break. They got to work with no complaint, for the most part. Lifeline made a big deal of helping build the vine fences and tripwires over the projectile traps, for whatever reason. The group had decided not to dig any pits for fear that it would later catch a stray villager. Recondo spent all of his time in the village, so they were down to four and a half men to booby trap the area – Spirit having to spend a lot of time keeping an eye on Cobra's troops.

Beach Head had considered bringing Ace and Quick Kick in for the operation. A few more men would certainly help. However, he didn't have a man to spare to bring them over and did not want to risk losing anyone in the jungle. It was true they were Joes and that Joes were good at finding their way into and out of trouble, but Beach Head didn't want to start relying on that if he didn't need to. He would plan things for their group as it stood. Furthermore, he liked the idea of having someone who could be in the air fast.

The Joes made good time. When it was decided they should play scarce, the group had constructed a pretty decent set of defenses. It helped that Cobra had taken longer than expected, having stopped to build installations of their own. Of course, Beach Head would also have preferred the Joes to have done more and had this been training, he wouldn't be so nice about admitting that it was solid work, but the Joes had lived up to his expectations this time. Recondo was showing obvious worry over his ability to get through the villagers, but Beach Head doubted anyone could do a better job.

Recondo and Lifeline would be staying back near the village to handle things over there. Rock n' Roll and Ripcord would be bombarding the Cobra robots from the trees. Beach Head and Spirit would go after Cobra's base camp after verifying that things were under control. They would stop these machines from the root once they were lured away, but for now, it was a waiting game.

#-#-#-#-#

Rock n' Roll leaned against a tree trunk, his legs stretching over the branch he was seated on, fingering a tune on a non-existent guitar. One might think he would play a somber rock ballad in the calm before a battle, but Rock n' Roll always played what he liked best. He believed the faster beats helped him stay alert.

The Joes had been laying low for quite some time, in case Cobra sent a live scout ahead. They hadn't. That seemed careless even for them. They hadn't sent out a mechanized scout either, but that was understandable. If the Joes could capture one of those, they would have a much better idea of what they were up against. It was unclear how complex the machines were and what level of artificial intelligence they might have.

"They can't make 'em any smarter than they are," Rock n' Roll quipped to himself.

"What was that?" Ripcord asked. He was crouched on a nearby branch.

The Joes had strung up a system of vines to aid in their travel from tree to tree, but support for any length of time would have to come from the branches They had hoisted a fair number of rocks and precariously positioned them throughout. They didn't have time for the grand scale booby-trapping that Rock n' Roll had first alluded to and there was concern over how much weight each branch could support. Thanks to Spirit, they were at least able to find enough vines to set up a criss crossing system above the trees as well as in the path of Cobra's robots.

"The machines," said Rock n' Roll. "Surely Cobra can't make machines that are smarter than they are themselves. They're probably not too smart then."

"Oh, right," said Ripcord. "Though, they're probably better at following orders, for better or for worse."

"Heh. Probably." Rock n' Roll grinned. He was about to continue the conversation when he heard the familiar shriek of Freedom. He looked back at Ripcord, who nodded knowingly. Cobra's machines had started moving their way.

The two Joes positioned themselves near their stone stockpiles. They weren't sure how fast Cobra's mechanical shooters were approaching, but according to the plan, Freedom would signal them when they were within a hundred yards of the traps. They only had so many rocks, so they would have to wait until the machines were stuck in the vines and then determine how to best use their limited ammunition.

Having more secured vine barriers, at multiple heights, seemed to work well this time. When the automatons reached the booby-trapped area, they found themselves stuck. Like before, they attempts to shoot the vines down which were in their way, but seemed to be having more with it. Varying the angles and ends had made a big difference.

To prevent a retreat, the Joes had rigged a 'back door' of sorts with the vines as well. Lines they had set up in advance could be pulled taut, creating a maze in all directions. The crossing vines reminded Rock n' Roll of laser-guarded valuables at museums. They had wanted to create nets to further tangle the the Cobra vehicles, but abandoned that plan due to time constraints.

Another big difference came from the rock attack from above. The assault served dual purposes. The rocks damaged the machines on the way down and then became obstacles for the machines to overcome once on the ground. Ripcord was especially adept at his use of the stones, often knocking the guns off of Cobra's new weapon. He displayed a natural understanding of where things were when looking down and how things would fall.

"We're doing a better job of containing them this time," Ripcord said as he descended onto a branch near Rock n' Roll's from the vine network. "I don't know how long it will stay that way though. These things don't give up."

"Yeah," said Rock n' Roll. "Have you noticed, they never seem to aim up at us though? I wonder if it's because they can't or because they haven't realized we're up here."

"I hope it's the former."

Rock n' Roll picked out an out-of-place bird call out of the background of rain forest and robots. His ears were good at picking things like that out. He sometimes worried about the damage he might be doing to his hearing between the volume of his music and the sounds of artillery, but he couldn't imagine not listening to either. He looked to the ground, just outside the path of the Cobra machines, to see Spirit with Beach Head.

Beach Head made a signal indicating the two of them were going to make their move. Rock n' Roll had wanted to go with Beach Head initially, but it made sense that Spirit should go because he knew Cobra's camp best and with the machines a new and not entirely known threat, more than one of them needed to stay and do what needed to be done near the village.

While the number of human Cobra troops had been low according to Spirit, Rock n' Roll was still concerned. Regardless, Beach Head and Spirit would be greatly outnumbered. Beach Head seemed to trust they could do it though and he was a pretty astute guy. He seemed to know exactly what he could do and do it without hesitation. He didn't even need to stop and think, he just knew. The only thing he didn't know was how much credit he should really be giving himself for his own feats.

#-#-#-#-#

Major Bludd's eyes skimmed over a page in the book of sonnets he always kept with him, unable to concentrate on it due to Colonel Mustard's racket. Bludd had found the then not-so-tattered volume on the ground near an enemy he had felled, back when he was in the Foreign Legion. The fight had gone to bayonets, he recalled. After all was said and done, he found the book a curiosity amongst the sticky fluids and mud the surrounded the man he had just killed. He wasn't sure why he picked it up but it had become a bit of a luck charm over the years. If anything else, it often offered sanctuary from boredom.

Boredom easily described Mustard's battles. There was not much to do, it was pretty much the man and his radio controls. Bludd did occasionally look at the progress through his telescope. It was always the same march of machines.

Things had been dreadfully boring since their altercation with the Joes, wherever they had gone. Mustard moved at a pace so slow that even the notoriously lazy troops they had with them were feeling the drag. The man seemed to be playing safari. As if that wasn't enough to get under Major Bludd's skin, he was still trying to buddy up to him, ever so transparently and clumsily trying to become part of Cobra's inner circle.

Despite his obvious desire to ingratiate himself, Colonel Mustard never scaled back his ego. He was always quick to point out how right he was. Major Bludd had decided just to let him be rather than waste his breath yelling at him. There was no making suggestions to a man like that, so Bludd didn't bother. He was annoying enough as it was. However, he was usually not so bad that one couldn't just escape into a well-traveled tome of verse.

Mustard always had a tendency to talk and grunt to himself while working. Bludd wasn't sure whether he was trying to get attention that way or not. This time it was particularly bad though. He was obviously frustrated, mostly grunting, though occasionally something comprehensible like 'why isn't this working!?' could be heard. Major Bludd sighed. He supposed he should take the bait.

"Things not going as planned... 'old chap?'" Bludd couldn't help but throw in a few barbs as he walked over to Mustard's command center at the other side of their hastily constructed tree hut.

"It's unheard of," Colonel Mustard managed to say through gritted teeth. He sharply picked up his binoculars again. He had been rapidly switching between them and his control panel. "We haven't ever had a problem with terrain before but suddenly there's a mess of vines and the machines are breaking. It is as if Fortune herself is against us."

"'Fortune,' right." Bludd nodded in mock understanding.

"It's going to take me a while to cut through all this," Mustard said huffily, still rapidly beating on his controls.

Major Bludd extended his scope to more carefully examine the predicament of Mustard's machines. "This is the work of Joes."

"What?! That's poppycock! I sent the Joes running with their tails between their legs!"

"Looks like you sent them running ahead of us then."

"Bah! I'll just shoot them down again!" Colonel Mustard clutched his binoculars tightly, intently scanning the area for human targets.

Major Bludd frowned. He turned his scope on their own camp. They had troops both playing look out from the tree huts and on the ground in case of a sneak assault. They were apparently doing a bad job of it however as two of them were missing from their posts. Major Bludd decided he would not take any chances. He took direct and confident strides towards his own transmitter on the other side of the tree hut.

"Hello? This is Bludd," he spoke into the mic. "Ready the FANGs."

Flipping a switch on the transmitter, Bludd continued, "We're missing two men in the northeast ground position. G.I. Joe activity is suspected. Approach and fire at will."

"Just what are you doing?" Colonel Mustard stood up from his station and began making his way towards Major Bludd. "Did you forget that I am the one in charge of this mission?"

"No I have not forgotten," Bludd said, his eye narrowed. "I just have no intention of being captured by Joes. You can go back to playing with your toys if you wish. The rest of us are going to deal with the situation right here."

Major Bludd turned swiftly towards the exit of the hut and made his descent.

#-#-#-#-#

Spirit moved silently behind another Cobra soldier. He caught the man in a strangle hold. The agent fought but was no match. He tried calling for help but could only gurgle. This was the second man that Spirit had taken out in such a fashion. Assuming Beach Head had done the same to the agent's partner, that brought their total up to four. There were still twelve more to go, in addition to Major Bludd and the man in khaki.

"Hey! They're over here! To the southeast!" The voice of another Cobra agent rang out through the din before he and his partner opened fire.

It seemed Spirit would not be having time to tie up the agent at his feet. He grabbed the man's weapons and ducked behind the closest tree of reasonable girth. He had planned on dismantling the Cobra laser rifle, but now that he had been discovered, he concluded the extra might come in handy.

Spirit turned to one side of the tree and fired back a volley at the Cobra troops to keep them at a distance. As he was doing so, he caught sight of Beach Head using the opportunity to rendezvous with him. The ranger stopped at a neighboring tree.

"They finally caught on," Beach Head said flatly. "I got my man. You?"

"He's unconscious, didn't have time to clean up."

Beach Head simply nodded. "We'll take care of him later. There's no time now. We have to take these guys out before there gets to be too many of them."

"These two are probably from the nearest lookout post," Spirit said, referring to the tree-born shacks that Cobra had constructed. "They've probably alerted the others.

"Alright, then let's proceed to the next phase." Beach Head ran off again, to execute his part of the plan. He would continue to take out the enemy, while Spirit provided cover fire.

As Spirit suspected, Beach Head chose to employ close range sniping. It didn't require much preparation or time though it did make the ranger easier to find. However, since there were only two of them, Beach Head was able to take the second guy down before he was spotted.

It was not a moment too soon as four more Cobra agents appeared from the other side. It was the men from the southwest outpost and ground positions. Spirit scrambled around to the other side of his tree to shield himself from enemy fire. Despite his return volleys, he found himself being pushed back several lines of foliage to Beach Head's position.

"It will be significantly more difficult this time," Spirit said. Already two more agents had joined the four that were firing upon them.

"I'll just have to keep at them until it's not as difficult," said Beach Head. "The other four, which direction do you think they'll be coming from?"

"They'll likely meet up with the others. It's too long a path and too great a risk of friendly fire to do otherwise," said Spirit. "With that many, they'll be able to close in on us."

"Right," said Beach Head. He took off too make another pass at the Cobra soldiers. He did not get far before he had to duck out of the way of heavier fire. Large laser beams tore through trunk of the tree right next to him, missing him by inches.

Spirit looked up, hearing the tell-tale sound. There were three Cobra FANGs hovering above the troops.

Major Bludd hung from the rung of a rope ladder coming out of the rear chopper. He appeared to be making his way inside.

Beach Head ran back towards Spirit. "I didn't know they had FANGs."

"Nor did I," said Spirit.

The two Joes found what cover they could as they were continuously pressed back out of the Cobra territory. Spirit was only able to fire back at the oncoming Cobra agents infrequently at best. While the Cobra helicopters did not have a clear shot due to the plant life, they provided more than ample threat for the Joes.

Beach Head was obviously frustrated by the situation. Even through his balaclava, Spirit could see how tightly Beach Head had set his jaw. Both of them were fighting hard but at the same time searching for some sort of solution, or at the very least, some way to gain back their footing. Unfortunately, things were looking grim. It wasn't long before the two Joes had given up on any pretense of holding ground and had broken out into full run.

It was the kind of run only sustainable through adrenaline. There was no time to think about tiring, just about what could be done to somehow move one's body faster still. Spirit felt as though his legs couldn't cut through the air fast enough. Though he was keeping a sprinting pace, it felt as if everything was moving far too slowly.

Then, Spirit tripped.

It might have been an errant root or a slick of mud or an unfortunately placed rock that did him in. Spirit wasn't sure. He found himself crashing to the ground so fast and for some reason he wasn't able to prepare a quick recovery. He breathed heavily, the exertion catching up with him. He knew he had to pick himself back up, somehow through Cobra's laser assault. He knew his chances weren't good.

Just as Spirit was about to make his move, he heard the familiar sound of a Skystriker. He felt his breath loosen and his lips widen into a smile. By the time he was on his feet, he could see the FANGs scattering.


End file.
